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Cyclamen hederifolium

Common name:	Cyclamen	Family:	Primulaceae
Author:	Aiton.	Botanical references:	89, 200
Synonyms:	Cyclamen neapolitanum (Ten.), Cyclamen europaeum (Auct.)
Known Hazards:	Poisonous.
Range:	S. Europe. Naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat:	Shady woodlands, usually on limestone[28, 31, 89].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. hederaefolium[E,H] C. neapolitanum var. album[G] C. purpurascens[G,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cyclamen [P], Ivy-Leafed Cyclamen [H], Kuklaminos [E], Pwin D'Pourcia [E], Sowbread [H], Yersomunu [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Primulales. Primrose family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Belgium; Greece; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.08m by 0.15m . It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf from October to June, in flower from July to November, and the seeds ripen from June to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Homeopathy; Purgative.

The fresh rootstock is a drastic purgative. It should be used with extreme caution[4, 21, 46].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh root[4]. It is applied externally to the bowels to cause purging[4].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

Plants can be used as a ground cover, though they will need to be given a mulch of leaf mould in order to keep the weeds at bay when they are dormant in the summer[208].

Cultivation details

Prefers a cool habitat and a well-drained humus rich soil[13]. Easily grown in a stony leafy soil in sun or shade[90]. Thrives in the light shade of trees. Tolerates a pH between 5.5 and 8[200].
This species is hardy to about -18°c[200].
A very ornamental plant[1].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[133, 134]. Fresh seed germinates in 3 - 6 weeks[133]. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours in warm water, sow shallowly and keep in a shady position at 15°c[124]. Germination may be slow and erratic[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a shady position in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Division in April/May. Very easy, the larger tubers can be planted out straight into their permanent positions whilst it is best to pot up the smaller ones and grow them on for a season before planting them out.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Cyclamen europaeum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Cyclamen hederaefolium (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Cyclamen neapolitanum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Cyclamen purpurascens (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Primulaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[28] Knight. F. P. Plants for Shade. Royal Horticultural Society. 1980 ISBN 0-900629-78-9
A small but informative booklet listing plants that can be grown in shady positions with a few cultivation details.

[31] Brown. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[124] RHS. The Garden. Volume 113. Royal Horticultural Society 1988
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including details on Podophyllum, Canna and Protea species.

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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