Cyclamen rohlfsianum
Encyclopedia
Cyclamen rohlfsianum is a perennial
growing from a tuber
, native to shrubland
, especially in limestone
cracks, up to 450 m (1,476.4 ft) above sea level
in a small area of northeastern Libya
. It is one of the tenderest
cyclamen
species
.
The plant was discovered by Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs
in 1879, and was named after him in 1897 by Paul Friedrich August Ascherson
.
s are round
when young, but become irregular with age, with multiple growing points across the surface of the tuber. Cyclamen purpurascens
also has irregular older tubers.
Leaves
are large, with pointed lobes and prominent ribs, and wider than long. Leaves of Cyclamen hederifolium
often have lobes, but are usually longer than wide.
Flower
s bloom in autumn with the young leaves and have 5 upswept petals, light pink with a darker nose. The stamen
s and pistil
project below the nose, suggesting the shooting stars (Dodecatheon
), but unlike any other cyclamen.
and Cyclamen africanum
.
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
growing from a tuber
Tuber
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...
, native to shrubland
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
, especially in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cracks, up to 450 m (1,476.4 ft) above 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...
in a small area of northeastern Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. It is one of the tenderest
Hardiness
Hardiness may refer to:*Psychological resilience, positive capacity of people to cope with stress and catastrophe*Hardiness , the ability of plants to survive adverse growing conditions...
cyclamen
Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of perennials growing from tubers, valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves...
species
Species
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...
.
The plant was discovered by Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs
Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs
Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs was a German geographer, explorer, author and adventurer.He was born at Vegesack, now part of Bremen. There was much pressure on Rohlfs to be in the medicine field, and he eventually joined the French Foreign Legion in a medical capacity...
in 1879, and was named after him in 1897 by Paul Friedrich August Ascherson
Paul Friedrich August Ascherson
Paul Friedrich August Ascherson was a German botanist. His author citation is Asch., although Aschers. has been used in the past....
.
Description
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...
s are round
Sphere
A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...
when young, but become irregular with age, with multiple growing points across the surface of the tuber. Cyclamen purpurascens
Cyclamen 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...
also has irregular older tubers.
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 large, with pointed lobes and prominent ribs, and wider than long. Leaves of 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...
often have lobes, but are usually longer than wide.
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 bloom in autumn with the young leaves and have 5 upswept petals, light pink with a darker nose. The stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s and pistil
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
project below the nose, suggesting the shooting stars (Dodecatheon
Dodecatheon
Dodecatheon is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the Primrose family Primulaceae. The species have basal clumps of leaves and nodding flowers that are produced at the top of tall stems that rise from where the leaves join the crown. They are commonly called Shooting Stars because of the...
), but unlike any other cyclamen.
Cultivation
Cyclamen rohlfsianum has a longer summer dormancy than many other cyclamen species and flowers best after a hot, sunny summer. In this way it is similar to Cyclamen graecumCyclamen graecum
Cyclamen graecum is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to southern Greece, southern Turkey, and neighboring islands and prized for its variable leaf forms, which include some of the most striking of any cyclamen....
and Cyclamen africanum
Cyclamen africanum
Cyclamen africanum is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to northern Algeria and Tunisia. It is similar to Cyclamen hederifolium, but not frost-hardy.-Description:...
.
Books
- C. Grey-Wilson. Cyclamen: a guide for gardeners, horticulturists, and botanists. p. 141. Google Books.
External links
- Cyclamen Society
- Gallery of the World's Bulbs — International Bulb Society
- PlantFiles
- Germplasm Resources Information Network