Cyclamen COUM

Cyclamen COUM - Eastern cyclamen, Coum cyclamen, Alpine violet, Kuznetsov's sowbread.

Cyclamen is a genus of perennial tuberous plants in the family Primulaceae, comprising about 20 species distributed from Europe and the Mediterranean to Iran, the Caucasus, North Africa, and northeastern Somalia. In nature, representatives of the genus occur in mountainous and foothill areas, open woodlands, forest edges, among shrubs, in rocky places, and on loose soils with pronounced seasonal moisture.

Plants form a flattened or rounded tuber from which leaves and flower stalks develop. The leaf blades are most often heart-shaped, rounded, or kidney-shaped, green, and often decorated with a silvery, marbled, or spotted pattern. In different species, roots can develop from the lower, upper, or lateral parts of the tuber, which is important to consider when planting.

The flowers are solitary, nodding, borne on peduncles, and are distinguished by reflexed petals bent backwards, making the silhouette of the plant easily recognizable. The coloration varies from white to pink, purple, and lilac. The fruit is a spherical multi-seeded capsule, and after pollination the peduncle usually curls or bends, bringing the fruit closer to the soil. The seeds are small, often with a nutritious appendage that attracts ants.

Eastern cyclamen is a low-growing winter- and early-spring-flowering tuberous perennial naturally distributed from eastern Bulgaria and Crimea to the Caucasus, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Israel. In nature, it grows mainly in the temperate biome, in open woodlands, shrubby thickets, on rocky slopes, and in locations with cool, moist winters and a drier summer dormant period.

The tuber is rounded or slightly flattened, with roots forming predominantly from the underside. The leaves are rounded or slightly cordate, often with an attractive silvery pattern, solid or marbled patch. Flowering is observed in winter and early spring. The flowers are small but numerous; coloration varies from white and delicate pink to rich purple, with a throat that is often darker. After flowering, seed capsules form, and the peduncles gradually curl and lower the fruits closer to the soil.

In cultivation, eastern cyclamen is valued for its winter flowering, compact size, and ornamental foliage. It is suitable for cool bright rooms, conservatories, tuberous plant collections, and in regions with mild winters can be grown outdoors in protected semi-shaded sites with well-drained soil.

Cyclamen seeds are small, about 2-3 mm (0.08-0.12 in) long, rounded or slightly angular, light brown or brown, form in capsules, and are usually convenient for manual sowing. Germination rate is most often 40-70%.

Before sowing, seeds can be soaked for 10-12 hours in warm water or a weak solution of biofungicide with the addition of a growth stimulant: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminosol, Epin, or Zircon. A loose, sterile sowing substrate based on sifted peat, leaf mold, fine perlite, and a small amount of washed sand is used. Seeds are buried by approximately 5 mm (0.2 in), the sowing is moistened from a spray bottle, covered with a transparent lid, or placed in a propagator.

Germination is carried out in darkness or heavy shade at a temperature of 15-18 °C (59-64 °F). The sowings are briefly ventilated daily, condensation is removed, and the substrate surface is kept slightly moist, but not wet. Waterlogging and overheating are undesirable, as they increase the risk of decay of seeds and young tuberlets.

The first sprouts may appear in 21-30 days, but germination in cyclamens is often prolonged and can take 6-12 weeks, and for some seeds even longer. After seedlings appear, the sowing is gradually moved to bright diffused light without direct sun. Pricking out is performed after the formation of several true leaves and a noticeable small tuber, when seedlings can be comfortably transplanted with a small clump of substrate. Young plants are grown in cool conditions with moderate watering so that a dense, healthy tuber forms.

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The cyclamen is provided with bright diffused lighting without prolonged direct midday sun. East-facing, northeast-facing, and cool bright windows, as well as loggias without overheating, are considered most suitable. With insufficient light, leaves stretch out, peduncles become weak, and flowering declines. In a hot room, the plant loses its ornamental appeal faster and goes into dormancy earlier.

During active growth and flowering, cool conditions at 10-15 °C (50-59 °F) are maintained. Higher temperatures are permissible briefly, but under constant heat flowers do not last as well and leaves turn yellow faster. After flowering and leaf maturation, the plant gradually transitions to summer dormancy. During this period, watering is reduced, and the tuber is kept in a cool or moderately warm place without dampness or overheating.

Watering is carried out moderately, along the edge of the pot or by bottom watering, after the top layer of soil has slightly dried. The substrate is kept slightly moist, but not wet. Water getting into the center of the tuber and the bases of the petioles is avoided, as this increases the risk of rot. Excess water from the drip tray must be drained after 15-20 minutes.

The soil used is loose, humus-rich, moderately fertile, and well-drained: leaf mold, a small amount of peat, fine perlite, coarse sand, and a bit of fine mineral fraction. A drainage layer is necessarily placed at the bottom. Shallow pots with drainage holes are selected according to the size of the tuber, without an excess reserve of moist soil.

Repotting is performed rarely, usually once every 2-3 years, after the dormant period or before the start of active growth. The tuber is placed so that the upper part remains closer to the surface, and planting is not too deep. Fertilizer is applied during leaf growth and flowering once every 3-4 weeks with a weak solution of fertilizer for flowering plants. An excess of nitrogen is undesirable, as it promotes soft leaf growth and increases the risk of tuber decay.

Shaping is not required. Spent peduncles and old leaves are preferably not cut off, but gently twisted out at the base after natural wilting so as not to leave rotting remnants. Division of the tuber is rarely used, as wounds take a long time to heal and easily rot. To obtain young plants, it is more reliable to use seed sowing.