''Cyclamen rhodium'' (also called ''Cyclamen peloponnesiacum''; once included in ''

Cyclamen repandum ''Cyclamen repandum'', the spring sowbread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to southern Europe and some Mediterranean islands. It is the most widespread of a group of cyclamens (genus '' Cyclamen'' subgenus '' P ...

'') 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 ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Cyclamen'' of 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 ...

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 the Peloponnese, Rhodes, and southwestern Kos. 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

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 mottled, heart-shaped leaves and pink flowers, darker carmine pink at the base, appearing in spring. Like all cyclamens, the flowers consist of five upswept, reflexed petals.

Subspecies

There are three

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 ...

, distinguished by

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

and

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

color. ''Cyclamen rhodium'' subsp. ''rhodium'' is white or pale pink with a pink nose and grows in shaded woodland and shrubland on the islands of

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

and

Kos Kos or Cos (; ) is a Greek island, which is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making ...

. ''Cyclamen rhodium'' subsp. ''peloponnesiacum'' J. Compton & Culham is pink with a deep

carmine Carmine ()also called cochineal (when it is extracted from the Cochineal, cochineal insect), cochineal extract, crimson Lake pigment, lake, or carmine lake is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminium coordination complex, compl ...

-pink mouth and grows in shaded woodland in the

Taygetus The Taygetus, Taugetus, Taygetos or Taÿgetus () is a mountain range on the Peloponnese peninsula in Southern Greece. The highest mountain of the range is Mount Taygetus, also known as "Profitis Ilias", or "Prophet Elias" (Elijah). The name is o ...

Mountains in the southern Peloponnese and near Mt.

Aroania Aroania () (also known as "Sopoto") is a village and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Kalavryta, of which it is ...

in the north. ''Cyclamen rhodium'' subsp. ''vividum'' J. Compton & Culham is deep carmine-magenta and grows in sunny areas on the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese.

Former names

''Cyclamen rhodium'' was once called ''Cyclamen peloponnesiacum''; before that, it was included in ''

''. The subspecies of ''Cyclamen rhodium'' were classified thus: *''Cyclamen repandum'' **subsp. ''rhodense'' **subsp. ''peloponnesiacum'' var. ''peloponnesiacum'' **subsp. ''peloponnesiacum'' var. ''vividum'' *''Cyclamen peloponnesiacum'' () Kit Tan **subsp. ''rhodense'' **subsp. ''peloponnesiacum'' **subsp. ''vividum''

References

External links

Cyclamen Society
(as ''Cyclamen repandum'' subsp. ''peloponnesiacum'' and subsp. ''rhodense'')
Pacific Bulb Society
(as ''Cyclamen repandum'' subsp. ''peloponnesiacum'') *
photos
from trip to Peloponnese — Northumberland Alpine Gardener's Diary (middle of page) {{Taxonbar, from=Q19751529

rhodium Rhodium is a chemical element; it has symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is a very rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion-resistant transition metal. It is a noble metal and a member of the platinum group. It has only one naturally occurring isot ...

Flora of the East Aegean Islands Flora of Greece