''Cyclamen parviflorum'', the small-flowered cyclamen is a flowering

perennial plant 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 from a

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 growin ...

, native to high elevations in the

Pontic Mountains The Pontic Mountains or Pontic Alps (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Kuzey Anadolu Dağları'', meaning North Anatolian Mountains) form a mountain range in northern Anatolia, Turkey. They are also known as the ''Parhar Mountains'' in the local Turki ...

of northern

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

. It is the smallest

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 gro ...

species and the only one native to alpine tundra. '' Cyclamen coum'' has similar flowers, but grows mostly at lower elevations. Where the two species are found together, they do not seem to

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

ize. The Latin specific epithet ''parviflorum'' means "with small flowers".

Distribution

''Cyclamen parviflorum'' is native to alpine tundra and

subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

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 (se ...

and

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

at above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

in the eastern part of the

of northern

. In the lower-elevation part of its range, it inhabits grassy slopes, rocky places, and

oriental spruce ''Picea orientalis'', commonly known as the Oriental spruce or Caucasian spruce, is a species of spruce native to the Caucasus and adjacent northeast Turkey. Description It is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 30–45 m tall or 9 ...

forests, sometimes beneath Rhododendron luteum. At higher elevations, it grows among Rhododendron and

Vaccinium ''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (whort ...

shrubs or in

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

meadow; here snow may be as much as deep.

Description

The

is round or round-flattened, usually less than across, but occasionally up to , with roots from the center of the bottom like '' Cyclamen coum''. In the wild, the tuber sits underground. The leaves are wider than long. The leaf color is dark green above and deep red below. Unlike other species, such as the similar '' Cyclamen coum'', ''Cyclamen parviflorum'' is never

variegated Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...

with silver. The flowers are fragrant and have five petals, pink to purple with a dark purple marking on the nose, short and rounded as in ''Cyclamen coum''. They lack the white or pink "eye" below the dark marking that is present in ''Cyclamen coum''.

Varieties

''Cyclamen parviflorum'' has two

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. ''Cyclamen parviflorum'' var. ''parviflorum'' has petals bent upwards (4–8 mm, - inch long). It inhabits open habitats at higher elevations. ''Cyclamen parviflorum'' var. ''subalpinum'' has petals bent outwards, not up (8–11 mm, - inch long), and twisted like the blades of a propeller, similar to ''Cyclamen alpinum''. It inhabits densely shaded areas in lower-elevation woodland.

References

External links

Cyclamen Society
�
Cyclamen: a guide for gardeners, horticulturists, and botanists
by C. Grey-Wilson — Google Books *
CalPhotosIPNI ListingKew Plant List
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3437733 parviflorum