''Cyclamen rohlfsianum'' is a species of

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 ...

in the family

Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the Onagraceae, evening primrose family), are a family (biology), family of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

. It grows 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 growing ...

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

, especially in

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cracks, up to 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 standardised g ...

. It is one of the tenderest

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 ...

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 ...

. The plant was discovered by

Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs (14 April 1831 – 2 June 1896) was a German geographer, explorer, author and adventurer. Biography Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs was born at Bremen-Vegesack, Vegesack, now part of Bremen. His father was a physician, and t ...

in 1879, and was named after him in 1897 by

Paul Friedrich August Ascherson Paul Friedrich August Ascherson (June 4, 1834 – March 6, 1913) was a German botanist. His author citation is ''Asch.'', although ''Aschers.'' has been used in the past. Ascherson was born in Berlin in 1834 as the son of health counsellor. In 1 ...

Description

Its

s are

round Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...

when young, but become irregular with age, with multiple growing points across the surface of the tuber.reply #435
Cyclamen 2009. Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum. ''

Cyclamen purpurascens ''Cyclamen purpurascens'', the Alpine, European or purple cyclamen, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Cyclamen'' of the family (biology), family Primulaceae, native plant, native to central Europe, northern Italy, and Slovenia. It i ...

'' also has irregular older tubers. Its

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 ...

are large, with pointed lobes and prominent

ribs The rib cage, as an enclosure that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum in the thorax of most vertebrates, protects vital organs such as the heart, lungs and great vessels. The sternum, together known as the thoracic cage, is a semi- ...

, and wider than long. Leaves of ''

Cyclamen hederifolium ''Cyclamen hederifolium'', the ivy-leaved cyclamen or sowbread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. This widespread cyclamen species is widely cultivated and among the most hardy and vigorous in oceanic climates. It is na ...

'' often have lobes, but are usually longer than wide. its

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 bloom in autumn with the young leaves and have 5 upswept petals, light pink with a darker nose. The

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s and

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

project below the nose, suggesting the shooting stars (''

Dodecatheon ''Primula'' sect. ''Dodecatheon'' is a section of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Primula'' species in this section were formerly placed in a separate genus, ''Dodecatheon''. The species have basal clumps of leaves and n ...

''), but unlike any other cyclamen.

Cultivation

''Cyclamen rohlfsianum'' has a longer summer dormancy than many other cyclamen species and flowers best after a hot, sunny summer. In this way it is similar to ''

Cyclamen graecum ''Cyclamen graecum'', the Greek cyclamen, is a perennial plant in the flowering plant family Primulaceae that grows from a tuber. It is native to southern Greece, southern Turkey and neighboring islands and is prized for its variable leaf forms, ...

'' and ''

Cyclamen africanum ''Cyclamen africanum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It is referred to by the common name African cyclamen and is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to northern Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. It is similar to '' ...

''.

Gallery

File:Cyclamen_rohlfsianum01.jpg, young leaf File:Cyclamen rohlfsianum Tile Barn.jpg, varied leaf patterns at Tile Barn Nursery

References

External links

*C. Grey-Wilson
Cyclamen: a guide for gardeners, horticulturists, and botanists. p. 141
Google Books.

— International Bulb Society * {{Taxonbar, from=Q646978 rohlfsianum Taxa named by Paul Friedrich August Ascherson Flora of Libya