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Cyclamen (From kyklos circular referring)

(from kyklos, circular; referring to the spiral peduncle). Sowbread. ORD. Primulaceae. A very distinct genus of greenhouse and hardy plants, with circular compressed perennial rootstocks, from which the leaves and flowers spring. Calyx five-partite; corolla tube short; limb large, deeply lobed; lobes reflexed. Leaves all radical, petioled, broad. The hardy species are beautiful dwarf-flowering subjects, well adapted for growing in well-drained positions on a rockery, or, in the case of those sufficiently plentiful, for naturalising in the grass by woodland drives, where it is cool and shady. C. neapolitanum succeeds if treated in this way. It flowers profusely in early autumn, at first destitute of leaves, and, at this season, produces a pretty effect. The very numerous varieties, so much cultivated in pots, are the offspring of C. persicum. By selection and good culture, these have been already brought to a high state of perfection, and new varieties, of vigorous growth and with distinctly-coloured massive flowers, are still annually selected.

Propagation of Cyclamens, whether species or varieties, is effected by seed, which are never in better condition for sowing than when freshly gathered. The hardy kinds should be sown in pots and placed in cool frame. As soon as the seedlings appear, they should be grown on in a frame until sufficiently strong to be placed out in their permanent positions. A well-drained soil is essential, and a sheltered situation, with protection in winter, is to be preferred. All varieties reproduce themselves tolerably true from seed, if kept isolated when in flower, to prevent cross-fertilisation. Cultivation in Pots. Few plants are better adapted to pot culture for winter and spring decoration than varieties of C. persicum, and few produce such a profusion of flowers in return for the moderate amount of care bestowed. A system of completely drying off in summer was once thought a good plan; but this has now been abandoned by all good cultivators as most unnatural, and the plants are grown from the seedling to the flowering stage without a check of this sort. Seeds are best sown in the autumn, as, if left until spring, a loss of time is effected in the growth of the plants that are intended to flower the following winter or spring. Ordinary pots or pans should be filled with a compost of light sandy soil, the seed placed thinly over the surface, then pressed in, and slightly covered. A temperature of 55deg. will be sufficient to insure germination, the time occupied varying according to the age of the seed. When the seedlings appear, they must be raised near the light, to prevent them becoming drawn, and, as soon as large enough, pricked off-several in a 5in. pot-and kept like this in a similar temperature till spring. They may then be placed singly in 3in. pots, and grown on in frames during the summer, with plenty of air after becoming established, and also shading from bright sunshine. By July, most of the pots will be filled with roots, and the plants should then be shifted into others, 5in. or 6in. in diameter, in which they will flower. Good drainage must be insured, and a compost used of equal parts loam and leaf soil, not, in any case, adding rank manure. The roots proceed from the base of the fleshy rootstock, and this should be about half-covered with soil, leaving the tops clear whence the flowers and leaves proceed. The after cultivation consists chiefly in keeping the plants, at all times, in a light airy place, near the glass, to prevent drawing, and thereby weakening them. Shade in bright weather only, apply water liberally, and syringe on fine afternoons, to keep the plants clean and encourage growth. Cyclamens may be grown on a second year by drying moderately and resting for a time, afterwards reducing and repotting. They should receive similar treatment to that previously advised for young plants, but the flowers are generally earlier and smaller a second year. It is not advisable to save plants after this age, as seed sown each year will keep up a stock, and young plants are much to be preferred. If no seed is required, the flowers should be removed when over.

Insects. Cyclamens are particularly subject to injury from Green Fly, Red Spider, and Thrips, at all stages of growth. Neither must be allowed to obtain a footing, or the leaves will soon become curled and irreparably injured. Fumigating frequently, but not too strongly, will destroy fly and many of the Thrips. Sponging the leaves, or dipping them in soft soap water, and afterwards in clean water, is the best remedy for clearing Cyclamens of spider. These pests should be frequently looked for, and, when first observed, measures at once taken to arrest their progress.

C. africanum (African).* fl. white or red tinted, with a bright purple spot at the base; corolla segments oblong-spathulate, auricled at the base, 3/4in. to 1in. long. September and October. l. fully developed in December, cordate, orbicular, reaching a length and breadth of 6in. to 8in., with both large deltoid teeth and copious irregular intermediate smaller ones, thin in texture, and beautifully marbled with white. Tuber very large, with fibres from all over the surface. h. 4in. to 6in. Calcareous Mountains of Algeria. This very fine plant is closely allied to C. neapolitanum, and, according to Mr. Baker, is but a subspecies or geographical race of it. (B. M. 5758.) C. cilicicum (Cilician).* fl., corolla segments pure white, with a bright purple basal blotch, oblong-spathulate, acute, not auricled at the base. October. l. developed at the same time as the flowers, sub-orbicular, entire, with close basal lobes. Rootstock a large regular depresso-globose tuber, with the slender root fibres in a tuft from its base. h. 4in. Cilicia, 1872. This species some-what resembles C. europaeum, but may be distinguished from that by its calyx segments.

C. Coum (Coum).* fl. usually deep red, inodorous; corolla the smallest of all the species, with oblong-spathulate segments. February and March. l. cotemporary with the flowers, with a shorter petiole than in any of the others, quite orbicular, firm in texture, neither lobed nor toothed, nor variegated with white, tinted purple beneath. Rootstock a depresso-globose tuber, with slender root fibres in a tuft from the base. h. 4in. South Europe and Asia Minor. (B. M. 4.) The two principal varieties of this in cultivation are C. album, with white, and C. carneum, with rose-red, corolla segments. C. orbiculatum, given by some authorities as a species, is doubtless a variety of this.

C. europaeum (European). fl. bright red, very fragrant; corolla segments oblong-spathulate, 1/2in. to 3/4in. long. August to October. l. produced at the same time as the flowers, ovate-orbicular, deeply cordate at the base, with close lobes, moderately firm in texture, marbled with white above, tinted with purple beneath, entire or minutely crenulate, always without large deltoid teeth. Rootstock a depresso-globose regular tuber, with slender fibres from all over its lower half, the tufts of leaves and flowers often connected with it by a rhizome 2in. or 3in. long. h. 4in. Central and Southern Europe, widely dispersed, 1596. C. Clusii (B. R. 1013), C. littorale (B. R. 1846, 56), and C. Peakianum (F. M. 262) are Italian forms of this species, with much longer and more delicate flowers.

C. graecum (Greek). fl. pure white, with a bright purple spot at the base; corolla segments oblong-spathulate, auricled at the base, 1/2in. to 3/4in. long. September and October. l. not developed till after the flowers, cordate-orbicular, obtuse, small, firm in texture for the genus, irregulary denticulate, but without large deltoid teeth, distinctly zoned with white above, and tinted with purple beneath. Tuber large, red, often irregular in form, with a few fibres in a tuft from its base. Mountains of Greece. A well marked species, not unlike C. neapolitanum, but quite different in leaves and tuber.

C. ibericum (Iberian).* fl. bright red in the type, with a bright purple spot at the base; corolla segments oblong-spathulate. February and March. l. cotemporary with the flowers, ovate-orbicular, very obtuse, entire or faintly undulated at the edge, firm in texture, distinctly zoned with white. Tuber globose, larger than in C. Coum, with the slender root-fibres in a tuft from the base. h. 3in. Caucasus, 1831. This, according to Mr. Baker, is but a sub-species or geographical race of C. Coum, but far superior to it for decorative purposes. (S.B.F.G. 9, under name of C. vernum). There is a fine garden variety, C. Atkinsii, raised by Mr. Atkins, of Painswick; and a form having large pure white flowers, with a bright-coloured purple spot at the base of each segment (figured in F. d. S. 2425).

C. neapolitanum (Neapolitan).* fl. white or red, with a bright violet-purple spot at the base; corolla segments oblong-spathulate, with a distinct auricle on both sides at the base, 1/2in. to 3/4in. long. August and September. l. developed before the flowers disappear, cordate, ovate, finally 3in. to 4in. long and broad, very variable in shape, thin in texture, usually furnished with several large deltoid teeth, and often, but not always, with minute small ones. Rootstock a very large depresso-globose tuber, sometimes attaining 1ft. in diameter, with fibres produced from all over its surface. Central and Southern Europe, widely dispersed; naturalised in several places in Britain. C. persicum (Persian).* fl. inodorous in the type; corolla the largest of all the species; segments white in the type, with a bright claret-purple blotch at the base, oblong-spathulate, not auricled at the base. March and April. l. cotemporary with the flowers, ovate, irregularly crenate on the margin, moderately firm in texture, distinctly variegated with white. Rootstock a depresso-globose regular tuber, much larger than in C. Coum, with a dense mass of fibres from all over the under side. h. 6in. Greece, Palestine, and other parts of Syria, 1731. This is the finest of all the species. There are a large number of garden varieties, the most striking of which are figured in F. M. 2435. C. album punctatum, C. aleppicum, and C. giganteum, are merely garden forms of this species.

C. repandum (repand). fl. rose-red, with a bright purple basal spot; corolla segments 1/2in. to 3/4in. long, oblong-spathulate, not auricled at the base. March to May. l. cotemporary with the flowers, ovate-deltoid, cordate at the base, with an open sinus, thin in texture, zoned with white, tinged with purple beneath. Rootstock a small globose tuber, with a few slender fibres in a tuft from its base. South Europe. (B. M. 1001, under the name C. hederaefolium.) Varieties. Mixed seed from a good strain are best for general cultivation, as they can be procured much cheaper, and the produce represents a much greater diversity of colour, than would be obtained from a few named varieties. These latter, in many cases, soon become superseded by still better selections, and are of most use to seed-raisers for fixing a select strain. What is termed the giganteum type is one that has flowers of immense size, but less in number. The flowers in this and the ordinary section vary in colour from pure white to dark purple, and some have two or more colours beautifully blended.