Cyclamen persicum is the parent of all the florists Cyclamen, those well known garish and out of proportion plants that appear in the shops especially for the Christmas trade. While a lot of people like them, they hold no comparison to the daintiness and leaf colour of their wild ancestors.
Cyclamen percisum grows wild in the Greek islands of Rhodes, Karpathos and Crete, it can also be found in open scrub and rocky hillsides in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria and Tunisia. The flowers usually appear between early December and late April and are usually soft pink or white or a mixture of both with a deep pink flash at the base of each petal. There is also a white form, Cyclamen persicum album found on one of the Greek Islands, and an autumn flowering form found near Jerico.
Cyclamen rohlfsianum is found in scrubby habitats and limestone gullies in Libya. It is different from all the other species in having a very corky and irregular tuber with growing points appearing all over the surface and roots from all over the bottom. Coming from North Africa it is the least hardy of all the cyclamen and will not tolerate any frost. When the leaves die down in the early summer it must be kept totally dry, (just to make it feel at home), before getting a good soaking in August to get it going once again. The fragrant pink flowers with a purplish blotch at the base appear with the leaves in the autumn and have protruding stamens, which is unusual for Cyclamen.
Cyclamen trochopteranthum, is another unusual one in that the flowers are only reflexed by 90º (rather than the usual 180º) and then slightly twisted. It is confined to Turkey where it grows amongst tree roots and rocks. The flowers are rose pink to carmine pink and are sweetly scented with a purple blotch at the base of each petal.
Cyclamen parviflorum is a completely hardy species that can be found growing in deep shade in pine forest mountainous regions of Turkey, sometimes even in snowmelt. Parviflorum is not the most attractive of the species and is somewhat difficult in cultivation. It is best grown under the bench of the alpine house, as it dislikes high temperatures and a dry atmosphere, and should definitely not be dried off for the summer.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
