''Cyclamen coum'', the eastern sowbread, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Primulaceae The Primulaceae ( ), commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the Onagraceae, evening primrose family), are a family (biology), family of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden pla ...

. It is a

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

ous

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

, growing to , with rounded heart-shaped leaves and pink shell-shaped flowers with darker coloration at the base. It is valued in horticulture as

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows low over an area of ground, which protects the topsoil from erosion and drought. In a terrestrial ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as the ...

, and for the flowers which bloom in winter and early spring.

Description

The

produces

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

s from the center of the bottom only. It remains small, only reaching about across. The leaves are round or kidney-shaped to long heart-shaped. The color is all-silver, all-green, or silver variegated with a variably sized green hastate (

arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, or sometimes for special purposes such as signaling. ...

-shaped) or "

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

" pattern and a green edge. The

edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

is smooth or gently toothed, but never angled and pointed as in ''

Cyclamen hederifolium ''Cyclamen hederifolium'', the ivy-leaved cyclamen or sowbread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. This widespread cyclamen species is widely cultivated and among the most hardy and vigorous in oceanic climates. It is ...

''. The flowers are squat, with almost round

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s, unlike any other group of cyclamen species. They bloom from winter to spring. The petals are magenta, pink, or white, with a darker blotch at the base. Below the blotch is a small white or pink "eye".

Etymology

The species name ''coum'' more likely refers to Koa or Quwê (an ancient region in eastern

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

, southeastern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

), which is part of the species' natural range, than to the island of Kos, where the species does not grow.

Distribution

''Cyclamen coum'' is

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to two areas. The main range is around the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, from

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

through northern Turkey to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

and

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, and a disjunct population lies near the Mediterranean from the Hatay Province in Turkey through Lebanon to northern

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' inhabits the western part of the main range and the southern area, while ''C. coum'' subsp. ''caucasicum'' inhabits the eastern part, including the Caucasus. Plants with intermediate characteristics are found in the middle of the range.

Cultivation

''Cyclamen coum'' self-seeds and grows more slowly than ''

'' and is usually out-competed when the two are grown together. The species ''C. coum'' and the

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form may also refer to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter dat ...

''C. coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''coum'' Pewter Group have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

(confirmed 2017).

Hardiness

Along with ''C. hederifolium'' and '' C. purpurascens'', ''C. coum'' is one of the hardiest cyclamen species, growing well in an area of New York where the temperature has reached as low as .

Subspecies and forms

There are two

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

and three forms, distinguished by leaf and flower characteristics. '' Cyclamen elegans'' was formerly considered a subspecies (''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''elegans''), but is now a species in its own right. * leaf as wide or broader than long ** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' (west and south) — leaf edge usually smooth, petal lobes *** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''coum'' — petals pink to magenta, with dark markings at base of petal lobe *** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''pallidum'' — petals white or very pale pink, with dark markings *** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''albissimum'' — petals pure white, without markings * leaf longer than wide ** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''caucasicum'' (east) — leaf wavy-edged — petals Note: The isolate population of Crimea, formerly called ''Cyclamen kuznetzovii'' Kotov & Czernova, is now considered as a local variant of ''Cyclamen coum''.Janis Ruksans, ''Buried Treasures: Finding and Growing the World's Choicest Bulbs'', p. 113, Timber Press, 2007 -

Gallery

File:Cyclamen coum leaf (autumn).jpg, Leaf in autumn File:Cyclamen coum bud 01.jpg, Opening flower bud File:Cyclamen coum flower close-up.JPG, Light pink flower File:Cyclamen coum flower close-up 02.JPG, Dark pink flower File:Cyclamen coum - white4.jpg, White flower (f. ''pallidum'') File:Cyclamen coum pod 1.jpg, Ripening seed pod Image:Cyclamen coum ssp. coum f. pallidum.jpg, ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''pallidum'' (white flowers with dark markings) Image:Cyclamen coum ssp. coum f. albissimum 'Lake Effect'.jpg, ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''albissimum'' 'Lake Effect' (white flowers with no dark markings) Image:Cyclamen parviflorum-2.JPG, ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''caucasicum''

Similar species

The ''Cyclamen coum'' group also includes ''Cyclamen abchasicum'', ''Cyclamen elegans'', ''Cyclamen alpinum'', ''Cyclamen parviflorum'' and ''Cyclamen pseudibericum''. * leaves wider than long ** '' Cyclamen parviflorum'' **: flowers tiny; leaves green * leaves longer than wide; leaf edge coarsely toothed, scalloped, or shallowly lobed ** petals as long as ''Cyclamen coum'' *** '' Cyclamen alpinum'' (formerly ''Cyclamen trochopteranthum'') **: petals horizontal, twisted like a propeller; leaves speckled with grey ** petals longer than ''Cyclamen coum'' *** '' Cyclamen abchasicum'' (formerly ''Cyclamen coum'' var. ''abchasicum'') **: taxon between ''Cyclamen coum'' and ''Cyclamen elegans'' *** '' Cyclamen elegans'' (formerly ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''elegans'') *** '' Cyclamen pseudibericum'' **: petals with broad dark blotch and white band on nose Image:Cyclamen parviflorum.jpg, ''Cyclamen parviflorum'' var. ''subalpinum'' Image:Cyclamen alpinum.jpg, ''Cyclamen alpinum'' Image:Cyclamen abchasicum.jpg, ''Cyclamen abchasicum'' Image:Cyclamen elegans.jpg, ''Cyclamen elegans'' Image:Cyclamen pseudibericum04.jpg, ''Cyclamen pseudibericum''

Hybrid

''Cyclamen'' ×''drydenii'' Grey-Wilson, a hybrid ''Cyclamen coum'' × ''Cyclamen alpinum'', has intermediate characteristics, i.e., round leaves and horizontal twisted petals.

References

External links

Cyclamen Society

Pacific Bulb Society

Botany Photo of the Day
— University of British Columbia Botanical Garden {{Taxonbar, from=Q82611 coum Flora of Western Asia Flora of Lebanon Taxa named by Philip Miller Flora of Bulgaria