Cyclamen hederifolium Aiton
hardy cyclamen (ivy leaved cyclamen)
Myrsinaceae (Myrsine family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© David Badke     (Photo ID #74382)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Cyclamen hederifolium
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Species Information

General:
Plants perennial, from a single large (3-15 cm across), round, flattened tuber.
Leaves:
Leaves appearing in fall and persisting to spring, ovate-cordate, toothed, margins strongly 5- to 9-angled, glabrous, dark green with pale variegation (centre darker, surrounded by paler area); long-stalked, petioles arising directly from the tuber.
Flowers:
Flowers appearing before the leaves, solitary per scape, terminal, nodding; corollas whitish to pink, usually darker pink towards the throat, 5-lobed; corolla lobes 1-2 cm, very sharply reflexed, with a pair of pale pink or white auricles at the base; calyces green to reddish, puberulent, campanulate, equalling the corolla tube, 5-lobed, lobes triangular to broadly lanceolate; stamens included (giving the corollas a truncate appearance). Flowering Aug-Oct.
Fruits:
Fruits globose capsules.
Stems:
Stems scapose, arising directly from the tuber, ascending to erect (becoming spirally coiled in fruit), glabrous at the base and becoming fine-hairy below the flower, reddish-tinged, 8-9 per tuber, 10-20 cm tall

SourceThe Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman

Habitat and Range

Woodlands and thickets in the lowland zone. Introduced; infrequent in extreme sw BC (Victoria area). Native to s Europe.

SourceThe Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Cyclamen neapolitanum Ten.

Taxonomic Notes

This species blooms in the fall, with the flowers appearing before the leaves, and the leaves persist through the winter and into the following spring. Although reasonably common in the Victoria area, this popular garden species is apparently not naturalized anywhere else in North America.

Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014
Author: Jamie Fenneman