Cyclamen 2014

[Mark Griffiths]

David, the PD stands for Davis & Polunin - they were collecting Cyclamen in the 50s. I don't know if there were collections any later than that by them.

Of course if they are collecting in seed having not seen the plants in flower then it can mean that the form given the collection number might be poor, average or good. Or maybe they collected tubers.

There's another variety of cilicium which is supposed to be white with a dark nose - Bowles variety - anyway mine came up as usual.

Open pollination is likely to mean that after 60 or more years in cultivation that plants are likely to have lost their distinctiveness. That's what's happened to hederifolium Bowles Apollo and I get the feeling mirabile Tilebarn Nicholas is going that way.

I have a number of plants that came to me as distinct varieties - unless they aren't the exact spitting image of the type plant I distribute them under a more generic name.

[David Nicholson]

Many thanks for that Mark, I'll follow suit.

[Naoto The Zombie]

Hello and help! I need your opinion (or suggestion).

I purchased this hederifolium "Dark Purple Form" from G.I Nursery @ CS show two years ago. The problem is.....the colour seems brighter year after year. It was in nice dark purple in the first year but now it's rather "dark pink-ish", even some with white spots. I believe it's still got "potential" to go back to dark purple but I don't know how.......

Any help or information would be helpful! Cheers!

[Mark Griffiths]

Naoto, I suspect it's environmental. I bought three fairly dark forms - potted the darkest. It's now looking like the palest and the petal tips are light. Maybe too much sun or the flower buds were too warm?

[cycnich]

Hello and help! I need your opinion (or suggestion).

I purchased this hederifolium "Dark Purple Form" from G.I Nursery @ CS show two years ago. The problem is.....the colour seems brighter year after year. It was in nice dark purple in the first year but now it's rather "dark pink-ish", even some with white spots. I believe it's still got "potential" to go back to dark purple but I don't know how.......

Any help or information would be helpful! Cheers!

I have four quite large plants and the colour has remained the same dark purple over several years. The only exception was the one occasion I gave one more light to get it to a show and the flowers became much paler. It definitely needs shade to keep it's colour.  I do also get the odd white spot on a few flowers but not enough to worry about.

[johnstephen29]

Hi guys I will post the pics large size so you should not have any problems seeing them, if that's ok with Maggi. Steve the cyclamen L site has not had any activity on it for ages which is a pity as I used to enjoy reading about other people's experience with cyclamen.

[SJW]

Hederifolium dark purple - I've had the same experience as others; the flowers lose their distinctive 'darkness' if the conditions aren't shady enough. When I bought mine, Jan B did say that the flowers would be paler if grown in full light.

[Naoto The Zombie]

Thank you very much, guys!

I am placing them in very sunny place at the moment so I'll look for a shady place next year before flowering.....

[Thorkild Godsk]

Cyclamen
Cyclamen I have many places in the garden blooming well this year. Warm autumn, 18 gr
Photos: Cyclamen hederifolium.
Thorkild DK

[David Nicholson]

I think we already have a Cyclamen thread.

[Maggi Young]

Lovely plants, Thorkild. A good season for them, eh?


Yes, David, there was an existing  cyclamen thread and I have merged the to - here in the 'Bulbs General' Section - cyclamen are counted here under the heading of bulbs, corms and tubers........
 

[Melvyn Jope]

I think this form of Cyclamen cilicium album has very attractive leaves so I am keen to get seed, today I have been watching bumble bees and hoverflies active on all the other cyclamen plants but they seem to positively avoid this one so I am not sure that using a paint brush will help either.

[SJW]

I think this form of Cyclamen cilicium album has very attractive leaves so I am keen to get seed, today I have been watching bumble bees and hoverflies active on all the other cyclamen plants but they seem to positively avoid this one so I am not sure that using a paint brush will help either.

It's fascinating to watch pollinating insects selectively choosing which flowers to land on, isn't it? I've often wondered which particular combination of factors influences their choices. Colour? Scent?. New or older flower? Abundance of pollen/nectar? (how do they 'know' this before alighting to check it out?) Does your cilicium album have much of a scent, Melvyn, and does it shed much pollen? At the moment, the bees in my greenhouse are heading straight for the purpurascens, occasionally being diverted by some scented heferifoliums, mirabile not getting much of a look in!

[Mark Griffiths]

my understanding is that it's a combination of colour and scent - with different insects favouring different colours and scents. Butterflies traditionally go for purples and sweet scents. Wasps seem to go for Frits. Flies prefer different scents.

Then there may be something about signposting - often in UV spectrum - but maybe the purple blotch that many cyclamen are a sign for "you go in from underneath".

[Tony Willis]

some of mine in flower

Cyclaen graecum from Crete
Cyclamen graecum from Turkey antalya
Cyclamen mirable two forms