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Cistaceae
Common Rock Rose
Helianthemum nummularium
Sunlit joy on rocky hillsides.
- Family
- Cistaceae
- Genus
- Helianthemum
- Native to
- Europe
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Summer
- Type
- evergreen subshrub
- Height
- 10–30 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, alkaline, rocky
- Water
- low; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 5–9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Each delicate flower lasts only a single day, but the plant produces a continuous succession throughout summer.
- Helianthemum means 'sun flower' in Greek — the papery blooms open wide only in sunshine.
- It is not a true rose at all but belongs to the rockrose family, Cistaceae.
- The stamens are touch-sensitive: when a bee lands, they splay outward to dust the visitor with pollen.
- Common rock rose is a key food plant for the rare Brown Argus and Green Hairstreak butterflies in Europe.
Color meanings
0
fleeting joy
1
warmth
2
sunny disposition