''Cyclamen mirabile'', sowbread, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the primrose family Primulaceae. A tufted,

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

ous

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

growing to , it is native to

Turkish pine ''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey. Turkish pine is also known by several other common names: Calabrian pine (from a naturali ...

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

and

maquis Maquis may refer to: Resistance groups * Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance * Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War * The network ...

in southwestern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. It belongs to the ''

Cyclamen cilicium ''Cyclamen cilicium'' is a species of flowering perennial plant in the family Primulaceae. It is native to coniferous woodland at elevation in the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey. Etymology The species name ''cilicium'' is the adjective of ...

'' group of the genus ''

Cyclamen ''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They grow ...

'' (

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

'' Gyrophoebe'',

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

'' Cilicium''). The species was identified and named in 1906. The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''mirabile'' means "miraculous", referring to the blooms which appear as if by magic from the bare earth.

Description

The

is round-flattened and roots irregularly from the lower surface. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

, appearing with the flowers or after they have emerged, are broad heart-shaped, and as wide or wider than long. ''

Cyclamen intaminatum ''Cyclamen intaminatum'' (= '' Cyclamen cilicium'' var. ''intaminatum'') is a perennial flowering plant growing from a tuber, native to oak woodland in scattered spots at in western Turkey. It is similar to ''Cyclamen cilicium'', but smaller. ...

'' is wider than long, but ''Cyclamen cilicium'' is longer than wide. The leaf edge is shallowly toothed; in the closely related ''Cyclamen cilicium'' and ''Cyclamen intaminatum'', the edge is wavy or smooth. Leaf color is dark green with a variable "Christmas tree"

pattern A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated l ...

in lighter green or silver. The silver zone often starts out pink-tinged in young leaves. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, appearing in Autumn, are often fragrant with a coconut scent. Flower color is white to deep pink, often with a magenta blotch at the base of each petal. ''Cyclamen cilicium'' also has a blotch, but ''Cyclamen intaminatum'' does not. The petal edges are toothed, particularly near the tip. ''Cyclamen intaminatum'' has slight petal toothing as well, but ''Cyclamen cilicium'' usually has none. In cultivation this plant has proved reasonably hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as when planted in a suitable setting. It grows best in well-drained soil that dries out in the dormant period (summer). As it dislikes cool wet summers, it may fare better in a pot in an unheated greenhouse. It has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. (confirmed 2017).

Subdivisions

Forms

''Cyclamen mirabile'' has two naturally occurring

forms Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data * ...

, distinguished by flower color: *''Cyclamen mirabile'' f. ''mirabile'' — pale to deep pink flowers with dark blotches *''Cyclamen mirabile'' f. ''niveum'' — all-white flowers

Cultivars

There are several cultivars of ''Cyclamen mirabile'': *''Cyclamen mirabile'' 'Tilebarn Anne' has silvery leaves with etched veins that are tinged with pink when young, and pink flowers. *''Cyclamen mirabile'' 'Tilebarn Jan' (named after Jan Ietswaart of the Netherlands, who sent seed to Peter Moore at Tilebarn Nursery) has been selected for white flowers; some seedlings are pure white, while others have a pale pink nose. *''Cyclamen mirabile'' 'Tilebarn Nicholas' has leaves with a dark green Christmas tree–shaped center surrounded by a broad band of silver. The silver band is deep pink in young leaves. Image:Cyclamen mirabile.jpg, ''Cyclamen mirabile'' Image:Cyclamen_mirabile02.jpg, ''Cyclamen mirabile'' 'Tilebarn Jan' Image:Cyclamen mirabile01.jpg, ''Cyclamen mirabile'' 'Tilebarn Nicholas'

References

*Cyclamen: a guide for gardeners, horticulturists, and botanists. C. Grey-Wilson. 1997

External links

Cyclamen Society pagePacific Bulb Society wiki
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5198115 mirabile