Cistus psilosepalus

Rock rose

Family: Cistaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Rock rose is a naturalized shrub found in the central Coast and San Francisco Bay regions in disturbed urban places at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces white petals 1 to 1.5 centimeters long in compact clusters. Growing up to 1 meter tall with stems covered in both glandular and nonglandular hairs, the plant has a distinctive appearance. Its leaves are sessile, ranging from linear to ovate-oblong, 20 to 70 millimeters long, with wrinkled surfaces and three main veins emerging from the base. The fruit develops with five distinctive valves, contributing to its unique botanical structure.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed places

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: CCo, SnFrB

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