Cyclamen (genus)

Japanese name: 芳香性シクラメン
Scientific name: Cyclamen

[Overview]
A group of garden cultivars created by crossing the cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) with a fragrant wild species.
Perennials.
They have slightly flattened, spherical tubers.
The leaves are simple and basal, usually heart-shaped, with silvery white markings on the surface.
The leaf margins are toothed.
A single flower is borne facing downward at the tip of a long flower stalk; the corolla is 5-lobed and curves back upward.
The flower color is pale pink to purple.
The flowers have a fragrance like a blend of rose and hyacinth.
They bloom in all seasons.

[History]
They were produced in 1996 at the Horticultural Branch (now the Horticultural Research Institute) of the Saitama Agriculture and Forestry Research Center by crossing Cyclamen persicum and C. purpurascens.

[Cultivation]
Expose them to plenty of sunlight during the flowering period.
They dislike direct summer sun and hot, humid conditions.
Water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, but pour gently around the edge of the pot, since wetting the leaves and flowers damages them.
Because they are weak in summer heat, the leaves generally wither in early summer and the plants go dormant.
During dormancy, keep them in a shady, well-ventilated place without watering and let them pass the summer until the leaves emerge.
If they do not go dormant in a cool region, let them pass the summer in partial shade while watering.
As the leaves grow larger, sunlight may fail to reach the buds under the leaves and they may wither.
It is good to rearrange the positions of the leaves so that sunlight reaches the base of the plant and more of the leaves.
In winter, it is good to place them by a sunny window out of the draft of heaters.
Care is needed to avoid freezing.
When flowers and leaves wither, remove them promptly from the base.
Pests and diseases include gray mold, soft rot, wilt, cyclamen mites, aphids and thrips.

View this page in Japanese (日本語)