Flower of the Week: Cyclamen
From winter to spring, you may find clusters of lovely “bunny ears,” which may smell lightly fragrant if you sniff closely enough. Those potted flowers, favored by many a teenage girl, are cyclamens. The 5 upstanding petals of a cyclamen flower look like cute bunny ears; thus the nickname. They are often put on coffee tables and desks for interior decoration, bringing a sense of liveliness and elegance into people’s lives.
Cyclamen has been grown throughout history. If your curiosity is not satisfied by the potted ones indoors, you’d better go to their original country to appreciate their raw charm: Meteora, Greece.
Meteora is a true “city in the sky.” There are numerous monasteries tucked away on bouldery mountaintops and cliffs–ancient structures that date back to the 14th century and cling to the mountains as if floating on clouds. In this remote and sacred environment, you will forget any worldly cares.
Every spring, large fields of cyclamens blossom. As the breezes moves through the sea of flowers, you will feel as if you are in a Hayao Miyazaki fairyland, while the lovely “bunny ears” will also make you feel you’ve just fallen down the rabbit hole in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The sensational experience of blurred reality and fairytale is full of marvels and wonders.
Plants of the Cyclamen genus are sparsely distributed around the Mediterranean, with a small number of exceptions spreading as far as Somalia and Asia Minor. The unique geographic distribution proves that their common ancestors were once active in the Tertiary Period 6 million years ago, and have receded to their current habitats gradually over time.
Luckily, the cyclamen-inhabited shores of the Aegean Sea were also the cradle of civilization. This beautiful plant has been in mankind’s company since our burgeoning days.
Murals of the Minoan civilization on Crete have traces of cyclamens together with lilies, irises, and crocuses. Ancient archives from the Theophrastus of Ancient Greece to the Dioscurides of Ancient Rome all documented cyclamens in great detail. Such documentation provides invaluable information to today’s historians and botanists.
Before the 16th Century, people thought the corm of cyclamen was helpful to induce labor, and regarded it as a medicinal plant. Because its starchy roots are a favorite food of boars, people also gave it a funny name, “sowbread.” But beware: its corm is somewhat toxic. Don’t consume it by mistake.
The horticulture of this plant did not start as early as we may have imagined. Cyclamen first showed up in Paris around 1620, but affirmative proof that the French began growing it as a garden plant did not appear until the 18th century. By the mid- to late-19th century, British horticulturists had begun selecting and cultivating varieties of cyclamen.
Through all these years of breeding and selection, horticulturists have cultured many varieties, such as double flowers, frilled petals, and rich or faint fragrances. There are plenty of colors, too, including noble and graceful red, elegant and refreshing white, lively and naughty pink, mysterious and quiet purple, etc. They are truly synonymous with cuteness!
Cyclamen requires certain things from its habitats and needs time invested in its care. Meet its preferred light, water, and soil requirements, and this little cutie will satisfy your desire for romance.
Cyclamen likes cool environments. Put potted plants somewhere with good ventilation and provide sufficient scattered light to it. Keep it away from direct, blazing sunlight. It likes fertile, moist, well-drained soil. It is afraid of dehydration but is also of waterlogging, so keep the soil just moist. In hot summers, cyclamens go into dormancy, and watering can be reduced then.
Size: 5-25 cm (2-10 in) tall
Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11, with varying hardiness of different varieties
Light: Half sun
Soil: Fertile, moist, well-drained
Blooming time: Spring or winter