code: 527
eeds should be sown at any time
Family: Primulaceae
Common name: Peloponnesian cyclamen
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 5 cm
Maximum Height: 10 cm
Packet Content(approx.): 10
Native to Rhodes and Kos, this rare gem is a small tuberous plant carrying rounded leaves speckled with grey-green, and strongly-scented rosy-pink flowers, darker at the mouth, which open in late spring
Sowing advice:
Seeds should be sown at any time, and as soon as possible after you have received them. Sow the seeds thinly onto a gritty, loamy compost and cover about 6mm or 1/4 inch deep as light can inhibit germination. Keep at between 10 and 15 degrees C. Germination can take from one to twelve months and is generally erratic, a strategy that has evolved to protect the strain in the wild. Pot on into a low-organic content compost.
Habitat:
Cyclamen rhodium ssp rhodium grows in shade under scrub and in rocky areas, often in pine forest, from 50-800m; ssp peloponnesiacum grows in humid, shady places in woodland, scrub and at cliff bases, from 350-1500m; ssp vividum grows in drier, open places in light woodland, rocks and scrub from 400-1700m.
Cultivation:
Cyclamen rhodium subspecies are not particularly hardy but when planted deeply, 10-15cm, in a sheltered and damp (not wet) situation, could make a good garden plant in milder parts of northwest Europe. In colder climates they grow well as pot plants in a frost-free greenhouse, performing best when well shaded, although ssp vividum will take more sun. No cultivars have been named. ‘Pelops’ was a name given to ssp peloponnesiacum when this was considered part of the C. repandum group.
