Israel wildflowers: Clammy cistus

Fumana thymifolia, Clammy Cistus, Arabian Cistus,
Hebrew: לוטמית דביקה, Arabic: ورد الشمس

Scientific name:   Fumana thymifolia (L.) Webb
Common name:   Clammy Cistus, Arabian Cistus
Hebrew name:   לוטמית דביקה
Arabic name:   ورد الشمس
Family:   Cistaceae, לוטמיים


Life form:   Chamaephyte
Stems:   Up to 20 cm; much-branched; erect or ascending branches
Leaves:   Opposite, entire; lance-shaped to narrow elliptical
Inflorescence:   Raceme-like cymes; 3-9 flowers
Flowers:   lemon-yellow petals; corolla 10-15mm
Fruits / pods:   Capsules 4-5mm
Flowering Period:   March, April, May, June, July
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Perennating


Derivation of the botanical name:

Fumana, Latin fumus, smoke, presumably referring to the nitrous odor of the roots when pulled from the ground.

thymifolia, ϑυμον, thyme; folius, leaf; leaves like the genus Thymus (thyme).

  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Webb is used to indicate Philip Barker Webb (1793 – 1854), an English botanist.

Fumana arabica, up to 25cm; leaves alternate, ovate- to oblong-lanceolate, stipulate; petals are pale yellow-orange, and the corolla is 20-30mm; capsule 6-8mm.