Cistus monspeliensis, better known as jagz, it is a shrubby species of the cystaceae family. It is commonly known as jagz, black juagarzo, black jagz, black rockrose, Montpelier rockrose, black steppe, Moorish steppe, or mosquera steppe. Its name refers to the Montpellier region where it grows in the south of France.
It is a shrub of more or less 1 m in height that grows mainly in the Mediterranean area. It has dark green leaves, lanceolate with a somewhat slimy appearance. The flowers are white, hermaphroditic and very showy, so they match the dark green tone of the plant in general..
This species can tolerate drought and also the presence of lime. It is also capable of growing in any type of soil, even the poorest. It does well in hot climates and does not tolerate frost.
It is cultivated as an ornamental, although it is a wild species. It has many properties that make it useful to apply it in traditional and conventional medicine.
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Jagz is an evergreen shrub that has a dark and intense green color, viscous and with a strong labdanum or balsamic odor. This shrub can measure 1.5 to 1.8 in height, although it can normally reach up to a meter in height.
The leaves of the jagz are long, narrow, linear-lanceolate with a dark green color, with three main veins, shiny on the upper side, and of a pale tone on the underside, in addition to that dense trichomes appear on this side of the leaf..
In turn, the leaves are opposite and unite at their base around the stem. The leaves may turn blackish-brown in late summer, when there is intense drought and heat, hence the common name black steppe..
The flowers of the black steppe are white, small (between 2 and 3 cm in diameter), arranged in unilateral cymes with more or less between 2 and 10 flowers; these tops are covered with long hairs and look like clusters.
For their part, the flowers have a calyx formed by 5 petals also covered with long hairs; while, the pistil has a short style. The flowering time is between April and June and attracts mostly insects such as bees and wasps..
The fruit of this plant species is a small capsule that is opened by 5 valves located at the apex. Contains numerous seeds with a tetrahedral shape and rough texture.
The black rockrose has several synonyms such as Cistus affinis, Cistus feredjensis, Cistus monspeliensis var. feredjensis, Cistus olbiensis, Cistus oleifolius, Cistus Porquerollensis, Cistus valentinus, Stephanocarpus monspeliensis.
This plant has the following taxonomic classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Euphyllophytina
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Magnoliidae
Superorder: Rosanae
Order: Malvales
Family: Cistaceae
Gender: Cistus
Species: Cistus monspeliensis L.
The juagarzo prieto is distributed from 0 m to approximately 1200 m of altitude; it is not very demanding with respect to the soil since it can develop even in the poorest.
In addition, the type of substrate can be limestone or siliceous, as it grows in slate soils (acidic) and in limestone soils (basic), therefore, it has a wide range of tolerance to pH.
This shrub requires a warm but frost-free climate, requiring low humidity. It can be found associated with the common rockrose (Cistus ladanifer).
It generates extensive jaguarzales on warm slopes, formed by soils with a high content of silica and in an environment where oaks, cork oaks, or gall oaks grow. This plant tolerates lime and is cultivated as an ornamental.
Black rockrose is distributed in the Mediterranean region, as well as Madeira and the Canary Islands. As for the Balearic Islands, it is distributed throughout all the major islands.
You can find it distributed from the Montes de Toledo and the Mediterranean provinces to Catalonia. However, it is more common to find it in Andalusia and Sierra Morena.
On the other hand, this shrubby plant is found in places like France, Malta, Albania, Greece, Algeria, Turkey, Cyprus and the United States..
The species Cistus monspeliensis it has been inaccurately referred to as a scrub component. In these bushes it has been found associated with many hypogeal fungi, including the species Elaphomyces citrinus, which acts as a mycorrhizal fungus.
Likewise, this species has been mentioned as a symbiote of the fungus Terfezia alsheikhii, and is associated with the arenaria plant.
It is used as aromatic or medicinal. In general the species of Cistus have antidiarrheal and anti-inflammatory properties, being the most recognized.
The species C. monspeliensis It contains flavonoids that are considered to act as antioxidants. In addition to this, crude aqueous extracts of C. monspeliensis have shown a protective effect on DNA division, and the ability to eliminate free radicals according to the applied dose.
In this point, C. monspeliensis has turned out to be more active than C. incanus. In this regard, the results have been confirmed thanks to a significant inhibition of lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes..
Thus, the experimental evidence in this regard suggests that thanks to this antioxidant activity, these extracts can offer excellent photoprotection to the skin, and can be useful to treat human diseases related to oxidative stress..
This plant has been considered for its uses for the improvement of oral conditions, the respiratory tract and the intestinal tract. It also has properties that accelerate healing, antiseptics, and against the formation of ulcers..
Regarding the care that is carried out in the garden crops of this species, we can find that pruning can be carried out as long as it is not drastic. In this sense, it is recommended to prune them at the end of flowering to keep the plant more compact and with greater vigor..
Since this plant requires low humidity, it can grow with little watering. This is taking greater care especially when the summer is strong, since phytosanitary problems may appear due to the presence of Botrytis.
However, if this plant is watered normally, it must be planted in well-drained soil, as excessive watering can cause the death of this shrub. Planting density should be 3 to 4 plants per square meter.
The fertilizer to be applied must be liquid and very light. With regard to sowing, seeds should be placed on the surface of a sand / substrate mixture. Later it should be covered in a pot with a preferably transparent plastic and it should be located in a hot place with some shade.
Then, when these seeds germinate for about 3 to 4 weeks, they are transplanted. In this phase, the seedlings must be of the necessary size to handle them and be placed in individual pots..
They are then covered with sandy soil and gradually adapt to the sun. For its propagation, it is advisable to do it by cuttings and at the end of the summer.
Jagz is a species that is used to restore environments in coastal rocky areas, xerophytic areas such as dry scrub or degraded slopes..
Otherwise, jagz is used for gardening that does not require great care, as they are kept in bushy groups in sunny and dry places, or around rockery. In particular, it is a plant suitable for gardening in places near the sea..
Another use of jagz is that it is used as an aromatic species. The black steppe is very popular in Catalonia for its use as an addition to fire. In this case, it is used to roast chestnuts, this being a process that provides a very pleasant aroma and flavor..
It is also used to smoke cheese, to which it provides a characteristic golden aroma and color. Also, this plant is used as a forage plant. For this, its branches and leaves are cut as green fodder and are consumed by goats and sheep when food is scarce. On the other hand, this plant is considered important for the production of honey..
Another important use is that in some places its vegetation cover is used as a kind of green manure that controls nematodes.
The species Cistus monspeliensis It was used in ancient times as an abrasive for cleaning tasks.
In traditional medicine, this plant has been used to control blood pressure. For this, the maceration of its leaves is used and consumed. Also, from the aerial part (leaves and branches) drinks are made to treat gastric ulcers and cut diarrhea..
In some places, a warm branch placed directly on the belly is used to decrease menstrual pain or to regulate menstrual flow when it is heavy..
On the other hand, the decoction of the whole plant is used as an antiasthmatic, expectorant, tranquilizer and anti-inflammatory in case of a sprain. This same decoction can be used to wash cattle wounds..
The species Cistus monspeliensis It is a fairly resistant shrub to the attack of diseases and pests. However, it can be susceptible to attack by fungi that thrive in conditions of high soil moisture. Therefore, possibly this plant does not withstand waterlogging conditions.
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