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Primulaceae
Cyclamen
Cyclamen
Resignation, goodbye, lasting feelings, sincere tenderness.
- Family
- Primulaceae
- Genus
- Cyclamen
- Native to
- Mediterranean, Western Asia
- Bloom season
- Fall, Winter, Early Spring
- Type
- tuberous perennial
- Height
- 10–25 cm
- Sunlight
- Bright indirect to partial shade
- Soil
- Well-drained, humus-rich
- Water
- Moderate; reduce during dormancy
- Hardiness
- 5–9 (hardy species); 9–11 (florist's)
- Lifespan
- Perennial; tubers live decades
Did you know
- Cyclamen flowers have a unique downward-facing pose with petals swept dramatically backward, like a butterfly in mid-flight.
- After flowering, cyclamen seed stalks coil tightly into a spiral — a 'spring' that flings seeds when ripe.
- The tubers can live for over 100 years and may grow to the size of dinner plates in old specimens.
- Wild cyclamen are protected throughout much of their native range due to overcollection.
- The genus name comes from the Greek 'kyklos' (circle), referring to the round tubers.