‘Twin flowers’

Cistus produce abundant flowers when grown in a hot dry garden but are more at home growing wild in Crete or Cyprus

The Latin part of a plant name often gives a hint about the attributes of a plant or flower.

Maculatus or maculata means spotted in leaf, bark or this case flower. It also means spotted in the insect world.

Look out for other obvious hints like odorata and fragrans which will be scented . Alba means white whilst nigrescens will be black. The spellings may differ and it isn’t a fool proof method of plant selection but it may help.

Cistus are known to cross pollinate with Halimum with are smaller similar plants that grown in the same conditions

A national collection and authority on the species is Bob Page.   see Cistaceae family. http://www.cistuspage.org.uk/

Cistus purpurea – also available with spots on…..