Cyclamen 2014

[David Nicholson]

 

My old bones won't take anything less than 20C these days.

[Maggi Young]

My old bones won't take anything less than 20C these days.

Never mind the cyclamen, in that case I'm packing a suitcase and I'll be down shortly - sounds like bliss to me....

[Roma]

Steve - interesting to see your ex CBG rohlfsianums.  The leaves do resemble the parents and they are different from the others.  I did send seed to the Cyclamen society many years ago.  I don't get seed on my own plants.  Sometimes it sets then aborts.  Probably too dry an atmosphere in the house or maybe I do not water enough when the temperature starts to rise in February (indoors on a sunny day).
David - Cyclamen rohlfsianum comes from Libya and would not appreciate the wet Devon climate. 

[SJW]

I sowed some Cyclamen rohlfsianum seed seed mid-August and put them where all my seed pots go in an open frame outside. Weather's been awful here for the last couple of weeks apart from the odd reasonable day and , as there was no germination, I took pity on it and put it on the kitchen windowsill. I now see I have three seedlings germinated out of five sown. Do I assume that keeping them indoors will be the best option and try and keep them in growth for as long as possible?

That's what I do, David. In fact, I've also kept more mature plants on an east-facing windowsill for years although you'll get more flowers in a frost free greenhouse. But certainly for seedlings and young plants I think they do better over winter with the extra protection that a coolish room provides.

[David Nicholson]

Cheers Steve.

[Matt T]

Hello Cycla-nuts
Just wondering if anyone can help with the ID of a Cyclamen recently spotted in the Peloponnese: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12363.msg316743#msg316743
Many thanks!

[SJW]

Hello Cycla-nuts
Just wondering if anyone can help with the ID of a Cyclamen recently spotted in the Peloponnese: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12363.msg316743#msg316743
Many thanks!

Matt - probably C. hederifolium subsp. crassifolium (C. confusum is a Cretan species).

[Matt T]

Thanks Steve,

I was using Kit Grey-Wilson's Bulbs of Greece and John Richard's Mountain Flower Walks, which suggest that C.hed.confusum is also in the Southern Peloponnese. Has the classification of these plants changed such that those confusum-type plants in the Pelops are now known as something else? I found some plants elsewhere that I also thought could be C.h.confusum but will have to look at my photos again.

Having just looked at the PBS website I found this photo of 'cochleate' leaves apparently on C.graecum which makes me think that  maybe the flower on my plant did belong to the leaves after all and it's just a form of C.graecum: http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Cyclamen/Cyclamen_graecum_JMW3.jpg

Cheers,
M

[johnw]

A few odd (#2 & #5) Cyclamen hederifolium leaves today.  I have a weakness for the arrowheads as I love a good chase.  Once upon a time they were as scarce as hen's teeth in Canada, in the 80's they were closely guarded in Victoria, BC.  Happily they escaped captivity.

johnw  - +11c and pelting.

[Hans A.]

Great plants and leaves shown here! Thanks for sharing them.

Here a picture from today, C.rohlfsianum and C.persicum var autumnale in the garden.

[SJW]

I was using Kit Grey-Wilson's Bulbs of Greece and John Richard's Mountain Flower Walks, which suggest that C.hed.confusum is also in the Southern Peloponnese. Has the classification of these plants changed such that those confusum-type plants in the Pelops are now known as something else? I found some plants elsewhere that I also thought could be C.h.confusum but will have to look at my photos again.

Matt - yes, there was a reclassification a few years ago following fieldwork and DNA analysis by the Cyclamen Society/Reading University. Previously, those heds known as C. hederifolium var confusum found in the Peloponnese, the Greek Islands (and Sicily?) are now C. hederifolium subsp. crassifolium. Those coming specifically from Crete are now considered to be a separate species, C. confusum. The complication is that populations of 'ordinary' hederifolium are also found throughout the same range (I think) but not sure to what extent they overlap. I'll have to read through some back copies of the CS journal which have a number of articles about this. In fact, though, the three forms generally do look different when grown side by side. In time, I hope the reclassification registers with everyone because I have a number of pots of seed exchange 'confusum' that don't need Reading's DNA analysis to tell me they're subsp. crassifolium! My advice to donors would be not to label anything 'confusum' unless absolutely sure it has Cretan origins.

Having just looked at the PBS website I found this photo of 'cochleate' leaves apparently on C.graecum which makes me think that  maybe the flower on my plant did belong to the leaves after all and it's just a form of C.graecum:

I see what you mean! Was the plant growing in a shady or more open, sunny location? Also, subsp crassifolium is often scented (and confusum has a good scent in my experience).

[Anthony Darby]

We had 11ºC and pelting today too.

[Oron Peri]

A couple of good flowering forms of C. persicum var autumnale, a particularly deep colored C. confusum and a couple of C. persicum with good leaves.

[Lewis Potter]

Hello everyone. New here. I recently bought some C. africanum and C. greacum from Ashwood nurseries. Is there any special ways of sowing and caring for them or do I just put them in a pots and wait?

[Matt T]

Matt - yes, there was a reclassification a few years ago following fieldwork and DNA analysis by the Cyclamen Society/Reading University. Previously, those heds known as C. hederifolium var confusum found in the Peloponnese, the Greek Islands (and Sicily?) are now C. hederifolium subsp. crassifolium. Those coming specifically from Crete are now considered to be a separate species, C. confusum. The complication is that populations of 'ordinary' hederifolium are also found throughout the same range (I think) but not sure to what extent they overlap. I'll have to read through some back copies of the CS journal which have a number of articles about this. In fact, though, the three forms generally do look different when grown side by side. In time, I hope the reclassification registers with everyone because I have a number of pots of seed exchange 'confusum' that don't need Reading's DNA analysis to tell me they're subsp. crassifolium! My advice to donors would be not to label anything 'confusum' unless absolutely sure it has Cretan origins.

I see what you mean! Was the plant growing in a shady or more open, sunny location? Also, subsp crassifolium is often scented (and confusum has a good scent in my experience).

Thanks, Steve. hat's all helpful and very interesting information. So I didn't find any C.confusum on my trip after all, but there were so many gorgeous forms of C.hederifolium. The well-scented plants we found at Monemvasia could have been subsp. crassifolium. I must do some research and read up some more and look through my photos again.

The group of plants we found (three plants, as far as I could make out) were growing in typical G.graecum habitat and within a population made up of C.graecum only, no C.hederifolium around at all. So I'll put these down as a 'cochleate' form of C.graecum.