''Cyclamen coum'', the eastern 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

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though som ...

. It is 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 ...

ous herbaceous

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 wid ...

, growing to , with rounded heart-shaped leaves and pink shell-shaped flowers with darker coloration at the base. It is valued in horticulture as groundcover, and for the flowers which bloom in winter and early spring.

Description

The

produces

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

s from the center of the bottom only. It remains small, only reaching about across. The leaves are round or kidney-shaped to long heart-shaped. The color is all-silver, all-green, or silver

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 a variably sized green hastate (

arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...

-shaped) or " Christmas tree" pattern and a green edge. The

edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...

is smooth or gently toothed, but never angled and pointed as in ''

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 ...

''. The flowers are squat, with almost round petals, unlike any other group of cyclamen species. They bloom from winter to spring. The petals are magenta, pink, or white, with a darker blotch at the base. Below the blotch is a small white or pink "eye".

Etymology

The species name ''coum'' more likely refers to Koa or

Quwê Quwê – also spelled Que, Kue, Qeve, Coa, Kuê and Keveh – was a Syro-Hittite Assyrian vassal state or province at various times from the 9th century BC to shortly after the death of Ashurbanipal around 627 BC in the lowlands of ea ...

(an ancient region in eastern

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

, southeastern

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 ...

), which is part of the species' natural range, than to the island of

Kos Kos or Cos (; el, Κως ) is a Greek island, part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese by area, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 36,986 (2021 census), ...

, where the species does not grow.

Distribution

''Cyclamen coum'' is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to two areas. The main range is around the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

, from

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

through northern Turkey to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

and

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, and a disjunct population lies near the Mediterranean from the Hatay Province in Turkey through Lebanon to northern

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' inhabits the western part of the main range and the southern area, while ''C. coum'' subsp. ''caucasicum'' inhabits the eastern part, including the Caucasus. Plants with intermediate characteristics are found in the middle of the range.

Cultivation

''Cyclamen coum'' self-seeds and grows more slowly than ''

'' and is usually out-competed when the two are grown together. The species ''C. coum'' and the

form 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 ...

''C. coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''coum'' Pewter Group have 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 (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).

Hardiness

Along with ''C. hederifolium'' and '' C. purpurascens'', ''C. coum'' is one of the hardiest cyclamen species, growing well in an area of New York where the temperature has reached as low as .

Subspecies and forms

There are two subspecies and three

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 leaf and flower characteristics. '' Cyclamen elegans'' was formerly considered a subspecies (''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''elegans''), but is now a species in its own right. * leaf as wide or broader than long ** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' (west and south) — leaf edge usually smooth, petal lobes *** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''coum'' — petals pink to magenta, with dark markings at base of petal lobe *** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''pallidum'' — petals white or very pale pink, with dark markings *** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''albissimum'' — petals pure white, without markings * leaf longer than wide ** ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''caucasicum'' (east) — leaf wavy-edged — petals Note: The isolate population of Crimea, formerly called ''Cyclamen kuznetzovii'' Kotov & Czernova, is now considered as a local variant of ''Cyclamen coum''.Janis Ruksans, ''Buried Treasures: Finding and Growing the World's Choicest Bulbs'', p. 113, Timber Press, 2007 -

Gallery

File:Cyclamen coum leaf (autumn).jpg, Leaf in autumn File:Cyclamen coum bud 01.jpg, Opening flower bud File:Cyclamen coum flower close-up.JPG, Light pink flower File:Cyclamen coum flower close-up 02.JPG, Dark pink flower File:Cyclamen coum - white4.jpg, White flower (f. ''pallidum'') File:Cyclamen coum pod 1.jpg, Ripening seed pod Image:Cyclamen coum ssp. coum f. pallidum.jpg, ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''pallidum'' (white flowers with dark markings) Image:Cyclamen coum ssp. coum f. albissimum 'Lake Effect'.jpg, ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''coum'' f. ''albissimum'' 'Lake Effect' (white flowers with no dark markings) Image:Cyclamen parviflorum-2.JPG, ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''caucasicum''

Similar species

The ''Cyclamen coum'' group also includes ''Cyclamen abchasicum'', ''Cyclamen elegans'', ''Cyclamen alpinum'', ''Cyclamen parviflorum'' and ''Cyclamen pseudibericum''. * leaves wider than long ** ''

Cyclamen parviflorum ''Cyclamen parviflorum'', the small-flowered cyclamen is a flowering perennial plant growing from a tuber, native to high elevations in the Pontic Mountains of northern Turkey. It is the smallest cyclamen species and the only one native to alpin ...

'' **: flowers tiny; leaves green * leaves longer than wide; leaf edge coarsely toothed, scalloped, or shallowly lobed ** petals as long as ''Cyclamen coum'' *** '' Cyclamen alpinum'' (formerly ''Cyclamen trochopteranthum'') **: petals horizontal, twisted like a propeller; leaves speckled with grey ** petals longer than ''Cyclamen coum'' *** '' Cyclamen abchasicum'' (formerly ''Cyclamen coum'' var. ''abchasicum'') **: taxon between ''Cyclamen coum'' and ''Cyclamen elegans'' *** '' Cyclamen elegans'' (formerly ''Cyclamen coum'' subsp. ''elegans'') *** '' Cyclamen pseudibericum'' **: petals with broad dark blotch and white band on nose Image:Cyclamen parviflorum.jpg, ''Cyclamen parviflorum'' var. ''subalpinum'' Image:Cyclamen alpinum.jpg, ''Cyclamen alpinum'' Image:Cyclamen abchasicum.jpg, ''Cyclamen abchasicum'' Image:Cyclamen elegans.jpg, ''Cyclamen elegans'' Image:Cyclamen pseudibericum04.jpg, ''Cyclamen pseudibericum''

Hybrid

''Cyclamen'' ×''drydenii'' Grey-Wilson, a hybrid ''Cyclamen coum'' × ''Cyclamen alpinum'', has intermediate characteristics, i.e., round leaves and horizontal twisted petals.

References

External links

Cyclamen Society

Pacific Bulb Society

Botany Photo of the Day
— University of British Columbia Botanical Garden {{Taxonbar, from=Q82611 coum Flora of Western Asia Flora of Lebanon Taxa named by Philip Miller Flora of Bulgaria