Showing Tag: " rock rose" (Show all posts)

Esteva - brave pioneer with unexpected beauty

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Tuesday, February 22, 2022,

In the hills that connect the Algarve with Alentejo, you will find great biodiversity. Everywhere you see sobreiros (cork oaks), azinheiras (holm oaks), eucalyptus, medronheiros (strawberry trees), wild herbs such as rosemary, mint and lavender and heather. The Esteva (sometimes called xara) can also be found there in large numbers. In the spring, nature puts on a remarkable show here, transforming hills into a festival of colors and scents, in which the Esteva p...

Esteva - Queen Of The Serra

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Saturday, August 4, 2012, In : nature

The Esteva (Cistus ladanifer - or Gum Rock Rose) is a common wild flower in the hills of the Algarve. This evergreen shrub is so tough that it can survive extreme drought and its seeds even survive a fire. Although this shrub does not strike you as a pretty plant during the greatest part of the year, it changes into a real beauty when spring is in the air. The Esteva then produces ample delicate flowers that color the hills white. The flowers are crinkled like cra...