Cyclamen

Cyclamen are tuberous perennials in the primrose family, instantly recognizable by their upswept petals that look like tiny shuttlecocks held above patterned foliage. The popular florist's cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum, is sold widely as a winter-flowering houseplant and gift plant.

Unlike most plants, cyclamen are dormant in summer and active in cool weather, flowering from autumn through spring. Hardy species such as C. hederifolium and C. coum are grown outdoors in mild climates for naturalizing under trees.

The reflexed flowers and marbled leaves are key.

• Flowers: solitary, held above the leaves on slender stems; five petals sharply swept upward and back, in white, pink, red or purple
• Leaves: heart- or kidney-shaped, often beautifully patterned with silver or pewter marbling
• Tuber: flattened, rounded underground storage organ from which leaves and flowers arise
• Size: typically 6-9 inches tall as a houseplant

Cyclamen want cool temperatures and dislike soggy crowns.

• Light: bright, indirect light; avoid hot direct sun
• Water: keep evenly moist during growth, watering from below to keep the tuber crown dry; reduce sharply as leaves yellow
• Soil: light, well-drained, peaty mix; the top of the tuber should sit slightly above soil
• Temperature: thrives at 50-65 F; heat triggers dormancy
• Feeding: dilute low-nitrogen feed every few weeks while in growth
• Dormancy: let it dry off in summer, then resume watering in early fall
• Propagation: from seed; tubers do not divide well

Cyclamen persicum is native to rocky hillsides, scrub and woodland of the eastern Mediterranean, including Greece, Turkey, the Levant and parts of North Africa.

Other species range across the Mediterranean basin and into the Caucasus. Hardy types are naturalized in woodland gardens, while the florist's cyclamen is grown worldwide as a seasonal indoor plant.