In the labyrinth of Txaradi... the stopa

1995/05/01 Terés, Joxepo Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Botanika

On this occasion, the family of this species studied, known for 8 genera and about 200 species, is distributed in the temperate countries of the North and South America. It highlights, in general, the diversity and abundance of this family in the scrublands of the Mediterranean region. In the Basque Country, 8 species of the genus Cistus are known. Some of them have a very reduced distribution. In general, all these species are known as streaks, but in some coastal populations they are also known as txara.

Within this genus, the best represented of our regions, is undoubtedly the species Cistus salvifolius. It is a small shrub that can reach a meter of height. In general it is very ramified and the new pile is covered with a thin tomentum. The leaves are obatu-elliptic, obtuse and rough, quite large 4-5 cm. White petals. It blooms especially in May and June. The fruits, pentagonal capsules, arrive by the end of summer.

The pools or thickets of acidified soil are the most typical habitats of this species and are at a height of 0 to 1.000 meters. It is very common in the Mediterranean regions, while in the Cantabrian Cornice only occurs in the most temperate areas.

This steppe is usually used as a medicinal herb, especially to heal wounds. The plant has also been used for any type of poison.

Family: cystaceans Species: Cistus salvifolius Distribution: distributed Habitat: charadías Medicinal herb: yes