Cyclamen species from A to F are found on this page.
Cyclamen africanum is very similar to Cyclamen hederifolium in appearance, but is one of the least hardy species, whereas C. hederifolium is one of the most hardy. It is from North Africa. It blooms in the fall sometimes with leaves and sometimes not. It has pale pink to deep pink flowers with auricles and the flowers arise erect from the tuber. Each petal has a basal purple or crimson magenta V-shaped blotch. It requires a dry summer dormancy, with watering commencing in late summer to fall and continuing through the growing season, and protection from the frost. The first two photos by Mary Sue Ittner are of a plant started from seed in October 2002 and having its first bloom two years later. The second two pictures are from John Lonsdale.
Cyclamen balearicum is a species in the repandum complex from the Balearic Islands and France where it grows in shaded or semi-shaded places, in pinewoods and scrub land. It blooms in spring and has small white fragrant flowers with pale pink veins and leaves that are less lobed than C. repandum, with a more grey and marbled pattern. Some of the leaves are silvery grey or silver. The first two photos are from Mary Sue Ittner and the last from John Lonsdale.
Cyclamen cilicium is a species in the cilicium group that blooms in autumn. It grows from tubers that bloom from the base. Leaves are unlobed and the pink and white flowers are without auricles. It is easy to grow and flowers prolifically. It is endemic to southern Turkey where it grows in the shade and may receive some moisture while dormant during the long, hot summers. Photos by John Lonsdale.
Cyclamen colchicum is found in a limited region of the Caucasus Mountains in woodland on dolomitic limestone. It was once thought to be a subspecies of Cyclamen purpurascens, but it has thicker and more leathery leaves with veins sunk into the leaf surface and a finely toothed horny margin which gives it a beaded effect. It has carmine-pink flowers which appear from July to October with the leaves. Photo by Hans Joschko
Cyclamen coum is one of the hardier species and one of the easiest to grow. It flowers in early winter or spring and is from the mountains of Bulgaria, Turkey and Lebanon, usually in shaded places. Leaf color can be shiny green or silvery or have silvery-green zones as in the leaves pictured below. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner. The second picture shows a plant that bloomed in October without turning down and the third a plant growing in the ground and blooming more normally in January.
Cyclamen coum ssp. coum has kidney-shaped to rounded leaves with untoothed or slightly toothed margins. Flowers are small with white eyes at the base of the petals. Photo by John Lonsdale
Cyclamen coum ssp. coum forma albissimum has pure white flowers without any markings. 'Golan Heights' , collected in Israel, has plain, unmarked leaves.
Cyclamen coum ssp elegans syn. Cyclamen elegans was suggested to be a species in its own right, but on The Cyclamen Society’s web page is now considered to be a subspecies of Cyclamen coum. It has heart-shaped leaves that are marbled above usually with a hastate pattern. Both the leaves and the larger flowers are much more pointed than other subspecies of Cyclamen coum. The flowers are mid pink with a darker pink blotch. It is from Northern Iran where it grows in forests at low elevations. It is rare in cultivation and probably less hardy. Photo by John Lonsdale.
Cyclamen creticum is a native of Crete where it is found in open rocky places or under bushes. Heart-shaped leaves are toothed and dark green splashed with silvery markings and flowers are usually white or occasionally pale pink and fragrant. This species is tender and blooms in the spring. Photo taken by Mary Sue Ittner of the leaves.
Cyclamen creticum forma pallide-roseum is the name used for pink-flowered forms of this species. Photo by John Lonsdale
Cyclamen cyprium is an autumn flowering species with white fragrant flowers from Cyprus where it grows mostly in mountain woodland. It has corky tubers that root only from the base. The leaves are lobed and olive green marked or splashed with grey, green or pewter. The thin small flowers are auricled with a purple or magenta M-shaped mark at the base of each petal. The first photo is from Mark Smyth, the second from Arnold Trachtenberg, and the last from John Lonsdale.
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