198 



CYCLAMEN « : WITH SOME 

 ACCOUNT OF THE MOST 

 VALUABLE KINDS IN CUL- 

 TIVATION. 



Plants of much and distinct beauty, 

 mostly natives of Europe or the colder 

 parts of Africa and Western Asia, most 

 of them hardy in this country, in which 

 some may be naturalized in woods or 

 shrubberies where the soil is of a gritty, 

 leafy, or open nature. They are great 

 favourites, having pretty flowers, some 

 very fragrant and of long duration, and 

 handsome foliage. The hardy kinds are 

 of high value for the rock-garden, for 

 planting under trees in the wild garden, 

 and in shaded spots where few plants will 

 grow. The Persian kind is one of the 

 best greenhouse flowers, being grown 

 largely for markets, and may be seen 

 covered with flowers from November 

 until April. In their native haunts the 

 Cyclamen are found on rocks, sloping 

 banks, usually under trees and in north- 

 ern aspects ; on chalky, stony, porous 

 soil, out of the reach of stagnant water ; 

 or, as in Algeria and Tunisia, on dry , arid 

 sand ; the tubers always wholly or par- 

 tially, above ground, amongst moss or 

 herbs, and often buried in dry leaves 

 which prevent the soil from getting hard 

 frozen. If they are grown in gardens in 

 open ground with no protection, the 

 tubers may be injured in case of severe 

 frosts. When planting, select a well- 

 drained border or sloping bank of por- 

 ous soil ; if of a heavy nature add plenty of 

 sand, leaf-mould, limestone, and pieces 

 of old mortar. Plant the tubers when 

 they are at rest, or from June to August 



for autumn-flowering kinds, and from 

 July to November for spring-flowering 

 ones; surround the tuber with sand and 

 take care that the top of the tubers is 

 level with the ground. If the soil is dry, 

 give a good watering and apply im- 

 mediately a thick layer of sand, leaf- 

 mould, cocoa-fibre, or moss. Be careful 

 the first winter that the ground does not 

 get frozen hard, as the tubers may be 

 lifted out of the ground. In subsequent 

 winters apply a dressing of leaf-mould 

 and a layer of dry leaves, and let the 

 plants remain undisturbed as longas pos- 

 sible. Hardy Cyclamens do well planted 

 amongst shrubs or at the foot of a wall, 

 being thus shaded during part of the day. 

 They may be propagated in various ways 

 but best by seeds . When fresh, these ger- 

 minate in a few weeks, but when old they 

 sometimes do not come up before twelve 

 months or more, though they retain their 

 growing power for ten years. Sow the 

 seeds as soon as ripe in pans or boxes, in 

 light, sandy soil ; keep moist and shaded 

 and in six weeks every plant will be up. 

 Winter in a cold frame for the first year, 

 and the following autumn plant them 

 out at 2 inches apart. Among the nu- 

 merous so-called species(and their many 

 synonyms) there are only, so far as is 

 known, six or seven really distinct wild 

 plants ; the sorts in cultivation are as 

 follows : — 



C. africanum. — This is the largest kind with 

 a tuber 4 to 8 inches in diameter, black, flat, and 

 irregular, emitting roots from all parts ; leaves 6 

 to 8 inches broad and long, thin, ovate-serrate, 

 sometimes angular, marbled with white above, 

 purplish beneath ; borne with the flowers, but 

 not fully developed before December ; blossoms 



* With coloured plate of C. libanoticum from a drawing by H. G. Moon at Warley Place. 



