Cyclamen persicum

Cyclamen persicum
Along the green path between Yagur and Nesher, Israel
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Myrsinaceae
Genus:	Cyclamen
Species:	C. persicum
Binomial name
Cyclamen persicum Mill.

Cyclamen persicum, the Persian cyclamen, is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to rocky hillsides, shrubland, and woodland up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level from south-central Turkey to Israel and Jordan. It also grows in Algeria and Tunisia and on the Greek islands of Rhodes, Karpathos, and Crete, where it may have been introduced by monks. Cultivars of this species are the commonly seen florist's cyclamen.

Description

Wild plants have heart-shaped leaves, up to 14 cm (6 in) usually green with lighter marbling on the upper surface.

Flowers bloom from winter to spring (var. persicum) or in autumn (var. autumnale) and have 5 small sepals and 5 upswept petals, usually white to pale pink with a band of deep pink to magenta at the base.

After pollination, the flower stem curls downwards slightly as the pod develops, but does not coil as in other cyclamens.

Plants go dormant in summer.

Cyclamen persicum, Persian cyclamen, in Israel.

Varieties and forms

There are two natural varieties and several named forms, distinguished by flowering time and predominant petal color.

• Cyclamen persicum var. persicum
  winter- and spring-flowering — all of range
  • Cyclamen persicum var. persicum f. persicum
    white to pale pink
  • Cyclamen persicum var. persicum f. albidum
    pure white
  • Cyclamen persicum var. persicum f. roseum
    rose-pink
  • Cyclamen persicum var. persicum f. puniceum
    red to carmine

• Cyclamen persicum var. autumnale
  autumn-flowering — Jericho

External links

• Cyclamen Society
• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Cyclamen persicum
• Flowers of Israel
• Davesgarden.com - PlantFiles