''Cyclamen hederifolium'', the ivy-leaved cyclamen or sowbread, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though som ...

. This widespread cyclamen species is widely cultivated and among the most hardy and vigorous in

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

s. It is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and enterta ...

to woodland, shrubland, and rocky areas in the Mediterranean region from southern France to western Turkey and on Mediterranean islands, and naturalized farther north in Europe and in the Pacific Northwest.

Names

The species name ''hederifolium'' comes from the Latin ''hedera'' (ivy) and ''folium'' (

leaf A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

), because of the shape and patterning of the leaves. The older species name, ''neapolitanum'', refers to Naples, where the species grows.

Description

''Cyclamen hederifolium'' is a

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

ous perennial that blooms and sprouts leaves in autumn, grows through the winter, and goes

dormant Dormant, "sleeping", may refer to: Science *Dormancy Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps ...

before summer, when the seed capsules ripen and open.

Tuber

The

is round-flattened and produces roots from the top and sides, leaving the base bare. In the florist's cyclamen (''

Cyclamen persicum ''Cyclamen persicum'', the Persian cyclamen, is a species of flowering herbaceous perennial plant growing from a tuber, native to rocky hillsides, shrubland, and woodland up to above sea level, from south-central Turkey to Lebanon-Syria and ...

''), roots come from the bottom, leaving the top and sides bare. The tuber becomes larger with age; older specimens commonly become more than across. In other species, tubers do not grow as large; '' Cyclamen coum'' usually does not reach more than across. Leaves and flowers grow from buds on the exposed upper surface of the tuber

Leaves

The leaves are variably shaped and colored. Depending on the specimen, leaf shape varies from heart-shaped to long and arrow-shaped, usually with 2-3 angled lobes on each side, resembling the juvenile leaves of

ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

(''Hedera''). Leaf color varies from all-green to all-silver, but the most common is a Christmas tree or

hastate Hastata, a Latin word meaning hastate or spear-shaped, may refer to : * a pointed leaf shape with barbs, shaped like a spear point, with flaring pointed lobes at the base Species Latin name * B. hastata ** '' Bolbitis hastata'', (E. Fourn.) H ...

pattern A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated li ...

in silver or pewter and various shades of green. The petiole and flower stalks of ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' grow outwards and then up, forming an "elbow". Plants in narrow pots often have a ring of leaves around the outside of the pot. From Latin, 'hederifolium' translates to Ivy-like leaves. In the closely related '' Cyclamen africanum'', stalks grow up from the tuber without a bend near the base. Image:Cyclamen hederifolium Album leaf.jpg, typical leaves Image:Cyclamen hederifolium silver leaf.jpg, an all-silver leaf form Image:Cyclamen hederifolium leaves Zakynthos.jpg, leaves collected on

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Za ...

, showing range of leaf shapes File:Blad van Cyclamen hederifolium. Locatie, Tuinreservaat Jonkervallei 01.jpg, Leaf ''Cyclamen hederifolium''. File:Prachtig nieuw blad van Cyclamen hederifolium tussen herfstbladeren van bomen 02.jpg, New leaf among fallen autumn leaf.

Flowers

The flowers bloom from late summer to autumn and have 5 petals, usually pink, purple, or white with a streaky magenta V-shaped marking on the nose, but sometimes pure white with no markings. The edges of the petals near the nose of the flower are curved outwards into strong auricles. These are not present in some other species, such as ''Cyclamen persicum''. The flowers are occasionally fragrant. The shape of the flower varies from long and thin to short and squat. Image:Cyclamen hederifolium prominent auricles.jpg, flowers with particularly prominent auricles Image:Cyclamen hederifolium var. confusum.jpg, short flowers with wide noses Image:Kew Gardens - London - September 2008 (2954281028).jpg, underside of auricles

Fruit

After fertilization, the flower stem coils tightly, starting at the end, and rests above the tuber.

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

s are amber, held in a round pod, which opens by 5-10 flaps at maturity. Image:Cyclamen flower stalk coiling.jpg, coiling flower stalk Image:Cyclamen hederifolium pods & seeds.jpg, Pods and exposed tubers

Cultivation

''Cyclamen hederifolium'' is usually listed as the hardiest species of cyclamen. In

s, it self-seeds abundantly and will crowd out less vigorous species such as '' Cyclamen coum'' if the two are planted together. In cold

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing so ...

s such as Calgary, Alberta, where '' Cyclamen purpurascens'' grows well, it may not survive. DavesGarden.com lists it as hardy to

zone Zone or The Zone may refer to: Places Climate and altitude zones * Death zone (originally the lethal zone), altitudes above a certain point where the amount of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span * Frigid zone, ...

5a (), although hardiness is dependent on presence of snow cover. This plant has 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 (No ...

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

(confirmed 2017).

Subdivisions

Varieties and forms

There are two varieties or subspecies (''hederifolium'' and ''confusum''), and var. ''hederifolium'' has two named

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

, differentiated by leaf and flower characteristics. * ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' var. ''hederifolium'' — leaves with well defined markings ** ''C. hederifolium'' var. ''hederifolium'' forma ''hederifolium'' — pink or purple flowers with darker markings at the base of the petals ** ''C. hederifolium'' var. ''hederifolium'' forma ''albiflorum'' — white flowers, sometimes with pale pink throat — this form has also won the RHS AGM * ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' var. ''confusum'' — fleshier leaves with poorly defined markings The variety ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' var. ''poli'', with long sagittate (arrowhead-shaped) leaves, is listed by the Pacific Bulb Society. Image:Cyclamen Hederifolium.jpg, ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' var. ''hederifolium'' forma ''hederifolium'' (purple flowers) Image:Cyclamen hederifolium album002.jpg, ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' var. ''hederifolium'' forma ''albiflorum'' (all-white flowers)

''Cyclamen hederifolium'' var. ''confusum'' (''C. confusum'')

In chromosome count, var. ''confusum'' is tetraploid, while var. ''hederifolium'' is diploid. Recently var. ''confusum'' has been elevated to the level of

as ''Cyclamen confusum'', although this is not reflected on GRIN.

Cultivars

There are a number of

cultivated varieties A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

of ''Cyclamen hederifolium''. ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' 'Amaze me', a cultivar with dark-pink flowers, is early blooming ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' 'Ruby Glow' has particularly deep all-magenta flowers. ''Cyclamen hederifolium'' 'Stargazer' has upward-facing flowers.''Cyclamen hederifolium'' 'Stargazer'
GAP photos.

References

Notes

Sources

Cyclamen: a guide for gardeners, horticulturists, and botanists
by C. Grey-Wilson (Google Books)

External links

Pacific Bulb SocietyCalPhotos
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1965935 hederifolium