Cistus monspeliensis

Montpelier cistus

Family: Cistaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Montpelier cistus is a naturalized shrub found in coastal areas of California, including the Carmel Highlands and northern coastal regions, at elevations below 300 meters in disturbed places. Flowering from April to October, this plant produces white flowers 1 to 2 centimeters long with delicate, tissue-thin petals. Growing with stems less than 1 meter tall and covered in both glandular and nonglandular hairs, it forms a compact and slightly irregular shrub. Its leaves are distinctive, being sessile, linear to lance-linear, 15 to 60 millimeters long with wrinkled surfaces and three main veins emerging from the base. The plant's narrow, rolled-under leaf margins and white flowers make it a striking though uncommon presence in its coastal habitats.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed places

Bloom period: Apr-Oct

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: NCo, CCo (Carmel Highlands)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.