Cyclamen
Cyclamen persicum
Family: Primulaceae · Also called Florist's Cyclamen, Persian Violet, Sowbread, Cyclaminus persica
Powdery & Soft · Winter bloomer
Cyclamen is winter's indoor jewel, swept-back petals in vivid pinks, reds, whites, and bi-colors rising above marbled, heart-shaped leaves. The flowers look like butterflies frozen mid-flight, each one an aerodynamic masterpiece of reflexed petals. As a potted plant, nothing else provides such elegant, long-lasting winter color.
resignation, goodbye, deep love
In the Victorian language of flowers, cyclamen means “Resignation and goodbye”. Cyclamen persicum is the ancestor of all pot cyclamen sold by the billions each winter. Wild C. persicum from Israel and Turkey has small, intensely fragrant flowers, breeders enlarged the blooms but lost the scent. In Japan, cyclamen is the #1 potted gift plant for Christmas and New Year. The name comes from Greek 'kyklos' (circle) for the coiling seed stems.
Did You Know?
Wild cyclamen are pollinated by a single moth species, if the moth goes extinct, so does the cyclamen. The tubers in some species can live over 100 years. Pigs love cyclamen tubers (hence the old name 'sowbread'), and in France, trained pigs were used to find them. Modern 'mini' cyclamen with smaller flowers are generally more fragrant than the big-flowered types.
Rocky woodland, scrubland, and shady hillsides in the Middle East and North Africa
Cyclamen is native to Eastern Mediterranean. It naturally grows in rocky woodland, scrubland, and shady hillsides in the middle east and north africa.
Scent Profile
“A delicate, powdery-rose sweetness, not all cultivars are scented, but miniature and species types often carry a lovely, soft fragrance. Commercial pot cyclamen have largely lost scent through breeding for size.”
Quick Reference
- Scientific NameCyclamen persicum
- FamilyPrimulaceae
- Native ToEastern Mediterranean
- Bloom SeasonWinter
- LifespanPerennial
Cultural Significance
Cyclamen persicum is the ancestor of all pot cyclamen sold by the billions each winter. Wild C. persicum from Israel and Turkey has small, intensely fragrant flowers, breeders enlarged the blooms but lost the scent. In Japan, cyclamen is the #1 potted gift plant for Christmas and New Year. The name comes from Greek 'kyklos' (circle) for the coiling seed stems.