Cyclamen coum
Encyclopedia
Cyclamen coum is one of a group of cyclamens (Cyclamen
subgenus Gyrophoebe series Pubipedia) with stubby flowers and nearly round leaves. Species of the group are native to areas near the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean
and the Black
and Caspian Sea
s, from sea level
to alpine tundra
.
name is the adjective
of a place name. It more likely refers to Koa or Quwê
(an ancient region in eastern Cilicia
, now part of Armenia
and southeastern Turkey
), which is part of the species' natural range, than to Kos
(an island in the Dodecanese
archipelago south of Greece
), where the species does not grow.
, from Bulgaria
through northern Turkey
to the Caucasus
and Crimea
, and a disjunct population lies near the Mediterranean
from the Hatay Province
in Turkey
through Lebanon
to northern Israel
.
Cyclamen coum subsp. coum inhabits the western part of the main range and the southern area and Cyclamen coum subsp. caucasicum inhabits the eastern part of the main range, including the Caucasus
. Plants with characters intermediate between the two subspecies are found in the middle.
Cyclamen elegans, formerly considered a subspecies of Cyclamen coum, inhabits the Elburz or Alborz
Mountains of Iran
.
Cyclamen parviflorum is found in the Pontus
Mountains, in the middle of the range of Cyclamen coum, but mostly at higher elevations.
Cyclamen alpinum is native to southwest Turkey
, far from the range of Cyclamen coum.
produces root
s from the center of the bottom only. It remains small, only reaching about 6.5 cm (2.6 in) across.
Leaves
are round or kidney-shaped to long heart-shaped. The color is all-silver, all-green, or silver variegated with a variably sized green hastate (arrowhead
-shaped) or "Christmas tree
" pattern and a green edge. The edge is smooth or gently toothed, but never angled and pointed as in Cyclamen hederifolium
.
Flower
s are squat, with almost round petal
s, unlike any other group of cyclamen species. They bloom from winter
to spring
. The petals are magenta, pink, or white, with a darker blotch at the base. Below the blotch is a small white or pink "eye".
and is usually out-competed when the two are grown together.
, Cyclamen coum is one of the hardiest cyclamen species, growing well in an area of New York
where the temperature has reached as low as -19 F.
and three forms
, distinguished by leaf and flower characteristics. Cyclamen elegans
was formerly considered a subspecies (Cyclamen coum subsp. elegans), but is now a species in its own right.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of perennials growing from tubers, valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves...
subgenus Gyrophoebe series Pubipedia) with stubby flowers and nearly round leaves. Species of the group are native to areas near the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and the Black
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
s, from sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
to alpine tundra
Alpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a natural region that does not contain trees because it is at high altitude. Alpine tundra is distinguished from arctic tundra, because alpine soils are generally better drained than arctic soils...
.
Etymology
The speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
name is the adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
of a place name. It more likely refers to Koa or Quwê
Quwê
Quwê – also spelled Que, Kue, Qeve, Coa, Kuê and Keveh – was a "Neo-Hittite" Assyrian vassal state or province at various times from the 9th century BCE to shortly after the death of Ashurbanipal around 627 BCE in the lowlands of eastern Cilicia, and the name of its capital city,...
(an ancient region in eastern Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, now part of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and southeastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), which is part of the species' natural range, than to Kos
Kos
Kos or Cos is a Greek island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos. It measures by , and is from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey and the ancient region of Caria. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Kos peripheral unit, which is...
(an island in the Dodecanese
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
archipelago south of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
), where the species does not grow.
Distribution
Cyclamen coum is native to two areas. The main range is around the Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, from Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
through northern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, and a disjunct population lies near the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
from the Hatay Province
Hatay Province
Hatay Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast. It is bordered by Syria to the south and east and the Turkish provinces of Adana and Osmaniye to the north. The province is part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region that covers the provinces of...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
through Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
to northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Cyclamen coum subsp. coum inhabits the western part of the main range and the southern area and Cyclamen coum subsp. caucasicum inhabits the eastern part of the main range, including the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. Plants with characters intermediate between the two subspecies are found in the middle.
Cyclamen elegans, formerly considered a subspecies of Cyclamen coum, inhabits the Elburz or Alborz
Alborz
Alborz , also written as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran stretching from the borders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the northwest to the southern end of the Caspian Sea, and ending in the east at the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan...
Mountains of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Cyclamen parviflorum is found in the Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
Mountains, in the middle of the range of Cyclamen coum, but mostly at higher elevations.
Cyclamen alpinum is native to southwest Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, far from the range of Cyclamen coum.
Description
The tuberTuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
produces root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s from the center of the bottom only. It remains small, only reaching about 6.5 cm (2.6 in) across.
Leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are round or kidney-shaped to long heart-shaped. The color is all-silver, all-green, or silver variegated with a variably sized green hastate (arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
-shaped) or "Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
" pattern and a green edge. The edge is smooth or gently toothed, but never angled and pointed as in Cyclamen hederifolium
Cyclamen hederifolium
Cyclamen hederifolium is the most widespread cyclamen species, the most widely cultivated after the florist's cyclamen , and the most hardy and vigorous in oceanic climates...
.
Flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are squat, with almost round petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s, unlike any other group of cyclamen species. They bloom from winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
to spring
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
. The petals are magenta, pink, or white, with a darker blotch at the base. Below the blotch is a small white or pink "eye".
Cultivation
Cyclamen coum self-seeds and grows more slowly than Cyclamen hederifoliumCyclamen hederifolium
Cyclamen hederifolium is the most widespread cyclamen species, the most widely cultivated after the florist's cyclamen , and the most hardy and vigorous in oceanic climates...
and is usually out-competed when the two are grown together.
Hardiness
Along with Cyclamen hederifolium and purpurascensCyclamen purpurascens
Cyclamen purpurascens is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to continental Europe. It is the cyclamen with the northmost natural range and one of the hardiest, grown outdoors as far north as Calgary, Alberta.-Etymology:The species name purpurāscēns is a present participle from the Latin verb...
, Cyclamen coum is one of the hardiest cyclamen species, growing well in an area of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where the temperature has reached as low as -19 F.
Subspecies and forms
There are two subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
and three forms
Form (botany)
In botanical nomenclature, a form is one of the "secondary" taxonomic ranks, below that of variety, which in turn is below that of species; it is an infraspecific taxon...
, distinguished by leaf and flower characteristics. Cyclamen elegans
Cyclamen elegans
Cyclamen elegans is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to the Alborz Mountains in northern Iran and southeastern Azerbaijan...
was formerly considered a subspecies (Cyclamen coum subsp. elegans), but is now a species in its own right.
- leaf as wide or broader than long
- Cyclamen coum subsp. coum (west and south) — leaf edge usually smooth, petal lobes 0.8–1.4 cm (0.31496062992126–0.551181102362205 in)
- Cyclamen coum subsp. coum f. coum — petals pink to magenta, with dark markings at base of petal lobe
- Cyclamen coum subsp. coum f. pallidum — petals white or very pale pink, with dark markings
- Cyclamen coum subsp. coum f. albissimum — petals pure white, without markings
- Cyclamen coum subsp. coum (west and south) — leaf edge usually smooth, petal lobes 0.8–1.4 cm (0.31496062992126–0.551181102362205 in)
- leaf longer than wide
- Cyclamen coum subsp. caucasicum (east) — leaf wavy-edged — petals 1.2–2 cm (0.47244094488189–0.78740157480315 in)
Similar species
The Cyclamen coum group also includes Cyclamen abchasicum, Cyclamen elegans, Cyclamen alpinum, Cyclamen parviflorum and Cyclamen pseudibericum.- leaves wider than long
- Cyclamen parviflorumCyclamen parviflorumCyclamen parviflorum is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to high elevations in the Pontic Mountains of northern Turkey. It is the smallest cyclamen species and the only one native to alpine tundra....
- flowers tiny; leaves green
- Cyclamen parviflorum
- leaves longer than wide; leaf edge coarsely toothed, scalloped, or shallowly lobed
- petals as long as Cyclamen coum
- Cyclamen alpinumCyclamen alpinumCyclamen alpinum is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to pine, juniper, sweetgum, or cedar woodland at above sea level in an area of southwestern Turkey, northwest of Antalya, isolated from other species of the Cyclamen coum group.-Name:The alternate species name trochopteranthum comes...
(formerly Cyclamen trochopteranthum)- petals horizontal, twisted like a propeller; leaves speckled with grey
- Cyclamen alpinum
- petals longer than Cyclamen coum
- Cyclamen elegansCyclamen elegansCyclamen elegans is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to the Alborz Mountains in northern Iran and southeastern Azerbaijan...
(formerly Cyclamen coum subsp. elegans) - Cyclamen pseudibericumCyclamen pseudibericumCyclamen pseudibericum is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to the Amanus or Nur and Anti-Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey...
- petals with broad dark blotch and white band on nose
- Cyclamen elegans
- petals as long as Cyclamen coum
Hybrid
Cyclamen ×drydenii Grey-Wilson, a hybrid Cyclamen coum × Cyclamen alpinum, has intermediate characteristics, i.e., round leaves and horizontal twisted petals.External links
- Cyclamen Society
- Pacific Bulb Society
- Botany Photo of the Day — University of British Columbia Botanical Garden
- Germplasm Resources Information Network
- PlantFiles
- photos — Flickr search