Cyclamen persicum.
The perennial mounding plants are up to around 30 cm high.
Leaves and flowers grow from a flattened round tuber up to 15 cm across.
Roots grow from the lower surface and leaves and flowers from growing points on the upper surface.
Each growing point may have a small or obvious thick flower stem with petioles and pedicels growing from it.
The solitary leaves, on long petioles are alternately arranged in a spiral.
The round to heart-shaped blades can be up to around 15 cm across.
The slightly fleshy blades have a thickened edge with small teeth.
Commonly dark green, the leaves are variously, and variably patterned.
The upper surface has paler green or silvery markings.
The lower surface is pale green, reddish or purple.
Solitary flowers, on a long pedicel grow from the top of the tuber.
The upper part of the stem bends down up to around 180 degrees so the flowers face down.
The calyx has a short basal tube with 5 short widely ovate lobes.
A short corolla tube has 5 lobes that bend back to lie along the stem.
The twisted lobes, up to 4.5 cm long do not have an auricle at the base.
Species flowers have pale pink, mauve or white petals with deep pink on the base of the lobes.
The 5 stamens are on very short filaments that insert onto the corolla tube.
The tips of the large anthers are initially touching but later spread apart a little.
Anthers have many large glands on their outer surface.
Anthers open inwards through an apical pore that may extend down as a slit.
There may be small white to green staminodes between the stamens.
The superior ovary has a few to numerous ovules in the single locule.
Ovules are attached to a central placenta that is basally attached.
When a flower is pollinated the pedicel curls down so the developing fruit is closer to the ground.
The fruit are a roughly spherical capsule around 1.5 cm across.
The thin skin splits from the top down into 5 or more pieces that curl up tightly.
The old central placenta has a few to many seeds attached to it.
The sticky brown seeds have tiny nodules on the surface.
Plants can also reproduce vegetatively.
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Cyclamen persicum is the most commonly seen species.
Its cultivars and varieties include plants that flower at different times, vary in size and in leaf colour and patterns.
Plants and flowers can be smaller or larger than the species ones.
Flowers can be doubles and have petals in different shades of reds, pinks and purples.
There are also flowers in white or yellow and all may be with or without the basal blotches.
Some have petals that are variegated, twisted or have a frilled edge.
J.F.
