code: 524
The heart-shaped leaves can grow up to 14 cm (6 in) wide
Family: Primulaceae
Common name: Persian cyclamen
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 15 cm
Maximum Height: 20 cm
Packet Content(approx.): 20
This quite vigorous plant has flowers which bloom from winter to spring and which are usually white to pale pink with a band of deep pink to magenta at the base. The heart-shaped leaves can grow up to 14 cm (6 in) wide and are usually green with lighter marbling on the upper surface. In pots, the tubers will grow in size quickly and it is common for them to reach a diameter of over 15cm (6 inches). They appreciate it if some pine needle litter is incorporated in the compost and respond positively.
Sowing advice:
Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks.
Flowers:
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. Cyclamen carry on individual stems standing flowers that hang down but whose petals are bent strongly upwards. In the species, flowers are sweetly scented, but the scent has been lost in cultivated forms.
Fruit:
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. The fruits are capsules, which are sunk into the ground with increasing maturity, by waxing and curling of the stem. The capsules only open when they are in the ground.
