CYCLAMEN 



THE BULB BOOK 



CYCLAMEN 



at least one " eye " or bud to it. The 

 leaves with a small portion of the 

 tuber attached may also be inserted 

 (if worth while) in sandy loam and 

 leaf -soil or peat, under bell-glasses, 

 and kept moist and close until 

 rooted. 



Notwithstanding their acrid juices. 

 Cyclamen tubers are greedily de- 

 voured by the wild boars in Sicily 

 and the Mediterranean region — hence 

 the name of " Sowbread." 



The following hardy Cyclamen are 

 most generally grown ; — 



O. africanum (C. autmnncde ; C. 

 rohustum), — A native of the sandy 

 oak woods of Algeria and Tunis, and 

 closely related to C. neapolitanum. 

 Tubers 4 to 8 ins. through, blackish, 

 flat, and irregular in shape. Leaves 

 6 to 8 ins. broad, long-stalked, ovate 

 or sinuate, toothed on the margins, 

 and beautifully marbled with white 

 above and purple beneath. The 

 sweet-scented flowers appear in 

 October and November, and are of a 

 pale rose or deep rose colour (rarely 

 white), with a purple spot at the base 

 of each auricled petal. The tubers 

 should be planted not later than June. 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 5758 ; Fl. d. Serr. viii. 

 t. 841 ; Gard. 1886, t. 569.) 



C. alplnum. — ^A dwarf plant closely 

 related to C. Coum, and native of 

 Mount Taurus in Asia Minor. The 

 leaves are faintly marbled, and the 

 flowers in the type are pink ; but 

 white-flowered forms exist. 



C. Atklnsl (C. hyhriduTn). — A 

 hybrid between C. Coum and C. 

 ibericwm, and closely resembling the 

 latter. The leaves, however, are 

 larger and sometimes slightly marbled 

 with white on the upper surface. 

 The flowers appear in spring, and are 

 of various shades, such as white, rose, 

 lilac, red, and purple. (Lem. Jard. 

 FL iii. t. 297 ; Oard. 1886, t. 569.) 



C. clUoicum. — This pretty little 



178 



species, from the Cilician mountains 

 and the pine forests of Asia Minor, 

 grows about 4 ins. high. It has 

 roundish entire leaves, purple be- 

 neath, and strongly-scented pale 

 rose or white flowers blotched with 

 purple at the base, from September 

 to November. 



C. Coum (C. caucasicum. ; C. 

 elegans ; C. hyemale ; C. vernale; 

 etc.). — A very variable species found 

 in the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Greece, 

 Turkey, etc., and cultivated for over 

 three hundred years. It grows only 

 about 3 ins. high, and has roundish and 

 flattened tubers 1 to 2 ins. in diameter. 

 The dark green leaves are never 

 marbled, but are purple beneath, and 

 are either slightly serrate or quite 

 entire on the margins. The small, 

 deep purple, rose-red, or white scent- 

 less flowers appear from December to 

 March, at the same time as the leaves. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 4; Lodd. Bot. Cab. t. 

 108; Oartenfl. 1862, t. 370.) There 

 is a form called multipetalum, having 

 seven to eight petals instead of the 

 normal five. 



0. cyprium (C. cyprinwni). — A 

 native of Cyprus closely related to C. 

 neapolitanum, from which it differs 

 chiefly in having unlobed leaves, and 

 longer and narrower petals. Tuber ■ 

 usually round. Flowers white, with 

 a purple spot at the base of each 

 auricled segment, appearing in 

 autumn. 



C. europaeum (C. cestivum ; C. 

 cordifolium ; C. odoratum ; etc.), 

 Common European Sowbread. — A 

 native of the mountains of Central 

 and S. Europe, with regular, roundish, 

 depressed tubers and masses of dense, 

 green, compact leaves, produced at 

 the same time as the flowers, and 

 ovate- roundish in shape, deeply heart- 

 shaped at the base, marbled with 

 white above, deep purple beneath. \ 

 Flowers from June to October, 



