Cyclamen hederifolium

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Cyclamen hederifolium
File:C. hederifolium flowers & leaves.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Ericales
Family:
Primulaceae
Genus:
Cyclamen
Subgenus:
Cyclamen
Series:
Cyclamen
Binomial name
Cyclamen hederifolium
Synonyms

Cyclamen neapolitanum Ten.

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Cyclamen hederifolium (ivy-leaved cyclamen or sowbread) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cyclamen, of the family Primulaceae. It is the most widespread cyclamen species, the most widely cultivated after the florist's cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum), and the most hardy and vigorous in oceanic climates. It is native to woodland, shrubland, and rocky areas in the Mediterranean region from southern France to western Turkey and on Mediterranean islands, and naturalized farther north in Europe and in the Pacific Northwest.

Names

The word "cyclamen" comes through Latin from the Greek cyclamīnos or -on, κυκλάμινος (also κυκλαμίς) meaning "circle", with reference to the shape of the tuber.[1] The species name hederifolium comes from the Latin hedera (ivy) and folium (leaf),[2] because of the shape and patterning of the leaves. The older species name, neapolitanum, refers to Naples, where the species grows.

Description

File:Cyclamen hederifolium album7.jpg
Growth habit

Cyclamen hederifolium is a tuberous perennial that blooms and sprouts leaves in autumn, grows through the winter, and goes dormant before summer, when the seed pods ripen and open.

Tuber

File:Remscheid Lüttringhausen - Bauernmarkt 04 ies.jpg
Dried tubers at market in Remscheid, Germany

The tuber is round-flattened and produces roots from the top and sides, leaving the base bare. In the florist's cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum), roots come from the bottom, leaving the top and sides bare.

The tuber becomes larger with age; older specimens commonly become more than 25 cm (10 in) across. In other species, tubers do not grow as large; Cyclamen coum usually does not reach more than 6.5 cm (2.6 in) across.

Leaves and flowers grow from buds on top.

Leaves

The leaves are variably shaped and colored. Depending on the specimen, leaf shape varies from heart-shaped to long and arrow-shaped, usually with 2-3 angled lobes on each side, resembling the juvenile leaves of ivy (Hedera). Leaf color varies from all-green to all-silver, but the most common is a Christmas tree or hastate pattern in silver or pewter and various shades of green.

The leaf and flower stalks of Cyclamen hederifolium grow outwards and then up, forming an "elbow". Plants in narrow pots often have a ring of leaves around the outside of the pot. In the closely related Cyclamen africanum, stalks grow up from the tuber without a bend near the base.

  • Cyclamen hederifolium Album leaf.jpg

    typical leaves

  • Cyclamen hederifolium silver leaf.jpg

    an all-silver leaf form

  • Cyclamen hederifolium leaves Zakynthos.jpg

    leaves collected on Zakynthos, showing range of leaf shapes

  • Blad van Cyclamen hederifolium. Locatie, Tuinreservaat Jonkervallei 01.jpg

    Leaf Cyclamen hederifolium.

Flowers

The flowers bloom from late summer to autumn and have 5 petals, usually pink, purple, or white with a streaky magenta V-shaped marking on the nose, but sometimes pure white with no markings.

The edges of the petals near the nose of the flower are curved outwards into strong auricles. These are not present in some other species, such as Cyclamen persicum. The flowers are occasionally fragrant. The shape of the flower varies from long and thin to short and squat.[3]

  • Cyclamen hederifolium prominent auricles.jpg

    flowers with particularly prominent auricles

  • Cyclamen hederifolium var. confusum.jpg

    short flowers with wide noses

  • Kew Gardens - London - September 2008 (2954281028).jpg

    underside of auricles

Fruit

After fertilization, the flower stem coils tightly, starting at the end, and rests above the tuber. Seeds are amber, held in a round pod, which opens by 5-10 flaps at maturity.

  • Cyclamen flower stalk coiling.jpg

    coiling flower stalk

  • Cyclamen hederifolium pods & seeds.jpg

    Pods and exposed tubers

Cultivation

File:Tapis de cyclamens 3.jpg
Cyclamen hederifolium naturalized in Belgium

Cyclamen hederifolium is usually listed as the hardiest species of cyclamen. In oceanic climates, it self-seeds abundantly and will crowd out less vigorous species such as Cyclamen coum if the two are planted together. In cold continental climates such as Calgary, Alberta, where Cyclamen purpurascens grows well, it may not survive.[4] DavesGarden.com lists it as hardy to zone 5a (−20 °F or −29 °C), although hardiness is dependent on presence of snow cover.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[5]

Subdivisions

Varieties and forms

File:Pink center of white cyclamen.jpg
pink throat of white form

There are two varieties or subspecies (hederifolium and confusum), and var. hederifolium has two named forms, differentiated by leaf and flower characteristics.

  • Cyclamen hederifolium var. hederifolium — leaves with well defined markings
    • C. hederifolium var. hederifolium forma hederifolium — pink or purple flowers with darker markings at the base of the petals
    • C. hederifolium var. hederifolium forma albiflorum — white flowers, sometimes with pale pink throat
  • Cyclamen hederifolium var. confusum — fleshier leaves with poorly defined markings

The variety Cyclamen hederifolium var. poli, with long sagittate (arrowhead-shaped) leaves, is listed by the Pacific Bulb Society.

  • Cyclamen Hederifolium.jpg

    Cyclamen hederifolium var. hederifolium forma hederifolium (purple flowers)

  • Cyclamen hederifolium album002.jpg

    Cyclamen hederifolium var. hederifolium forma albiflorum (all-white flowers)

Cyclamen hederifolium var 'confusum' (C. confusum)

File:Cyclamen hederifolium ssp confusum1.jpg
Cyclamen hederifolium var 'confusum', now known as C. confusum, Osaka Prefectural Flowers Garden, Osaka, Japan

In chromosome count, var. confusum is tetraploid, while var. hederifolium is diploid.

Recently var. confusum has been elevated to the level of species as Cyclamen confusum,[6] although this is not reflected on GRIN.[7]

Cultivars

There are a number of cultivated varieties of Cyclamen hederifolium.

Cyclamen hederifolium 'Amaze me', a cultivar with dark-pink flowers, is early blooming

Cyclamen hederifolium 'Ruby Glow' has particularly deep all-magenta flowers.[8]

Cyclamen hederifolium 'Stargazer' has upward-facing flowers.[9]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ hedera, folium. Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short. A Latin Dictionary on Perseus Project.
  3. ↑ post 434. Cyclamen 2009. Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum.
  4. ↑ post 20. Cyclamen kuznetzovii. Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Spring Flower Finding Trip 2010 (itinerary). Flowers of Crete.
  7. ↑ Cyclamen hederifolium Aiton var. confusum Grey-Wilson. GRIN (accessed 2010-11-24)
  8. ↑ photos from AGS Loughborough Autumn show. Alpines for the Enthusiast (blog).
  9. ↑ Cyclamen hederifolium 'Stargazer'. GAP photos.

Sources

External links

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