| Cyclamen persicum | |
|---|---|
| Along the green path between Yagur and Nesher, Israel | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Myrsinaceae |
| Genus: | Cyclamen |
| Species: | C. persicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Cyclamen persicum Mill. |
|
Cyclamen persicum, the Persian cyclamen, is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to rocky hillsides, shrubland, and woodland up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level from south-central Turkey to Israel and Jordan. It also grows in Algeria and Tunisia and on the Greek islands of Rhodes, Karpathos, and Crete, where it may have been introduced by monks. Cultivars of this species are the commonly seen florist's cyclamen.
Wild plants have heart-shaped leaves, up to 14 cm (6 in) usually green with lighter marbling on the upper surface.
Flowers bloom from winter to spring (var. persicum) or in autumn (var. autumnale) and have 5 small sepals and 5 upswept petals, usually white to pale pink with a band of deep pink to magenta at the base.
After pollination, the flower stem curls downwards slightly as the pod develops, but does not coil as in other cyclamens.
There are two natural varieties and several named forms, distinguished by flowering time and predominant petal color.