POTTED FLOWERING PLANTS 313 



flowers are single or double, with a five-parted calyx and 

 corolla. The leaves are ovate, dark green, leathery, usu- 

 ally marbled or variegated with white. The flowers are 

 on stems six or seven inches high, and are mostly odorless, 

 usually white, but ranging in rose-colors and red forms. 



Habitat. Persia and countries along the Mediterra- 

 nean. 



465. Commercial importance. Cyclamen are becom- 

 ing more valuable each year as commercial plants. There 

 is no winter-flowering plant which has a longer or more 

 prolific period of bloom, and none forms a more attractive 

 plant, with the beautiful foliage and compact habit of 

 growth. Grown well, they are beautiful, but when poorly 

 grown, they are ugly. 



466. Propagation. The seed of the cyclamen is sown 

 in shallow pans during September. Considerable leaf- 

 mold should be used for seed pans, and this should be 

 covered with a glass and kept in a cool, airy place until 

 the first leaves appear. Over-watering should be avoided, 

 or green mold will form over the surface of the soil. The 

 seeds germinate slowly, as a bulb forms before seed leaves 

 appear. It often takes two months or more for this 

 germination. 



467. Pricking off seedlings. As soon as two leaves 

 have formed, the seedlings should be pricked off into small, 

 wooden flats. They are placed on a shelf near the glass, 

 where they may get excellent air circulation. They 

 should be watered carefully, as the roots are produced 

 slowly, and over-watering will rot them. 



468. Potting. When three or four leaves are formed, 

 they are potted into three-inch pots. This should be done 

 in February or March. The soil for this potting should be 

 one-half leaf-mold, one-fourth sifted, dried cow manure, 



