Cyclamen

I drew the cyclamen for its flowers, which open as if caught in an updraught: five petals swept upward and back. This cyclamen print shows the whole plant, from the tuber to the flowers, with the marbled leaves between them. The species is the ivy-leaved cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium, a plant of Mediterranean woods and scrub that flowers in autumn. It is a hardy garden species, not the florist’s cyclamen of the winter windowsill.

In shortCyclamen hederifolium is a hardy cyclamen from the woods and scrub of southern Europe, from France to western Turkey. It flowers in autumn and carries marbled, ivy-shaped leaves through the winter. The plate shows the tuber, silver-marbled heart-shaped leaves and several pink flowers at different stages.

Key Facts

Where does the ivy-leaved cyclamen grow wild?

The ivy-leaved cyclamen grows wild across southern Europe, from southern France and Italy through the Balkans and Greece to western Turkey. It also lives on many Mediterranean and Aegean islands, among them Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Crete. The Cyclamen Society counts it among the most widespread cyclamens in the wild.

It grows in shade, in deciduous woodland, among pines and under scrub, and in rocky ground. The altitude runs from sea level to about 1,300 metres. The summers there are hot and dry, and the rain comes in autumn and winter. The plant has built its year around that pattern: it flowers and grows leaves when the rain returns, and it rests when the ground dries out. It is not native to Britain or Ireland, though it has settled in gardens there and in other parts of northern Europe.

When does the ivy-leaved cyclamen flower?

The ivy-leaved cyclamen flowers in autumn. In the wild the flowers open from late summer to October, timed by the first autumn rains. The flower stalks often rise before the leaves, so the first blooms stand alone on bare ground. As the season goes on, the leaves come up around them.

Each flower is rose pink, sometimes sweetly scented, and about 15 to 23 mm long. White forms also occur. The five petals are twisted and swept back. At the base of each petal there is a small projection called an auricle, like a tiny ear. Around the mouth of the flower there is a darker reddish-purple zone in the shape of a V or U.

Why are the leaves of the ivy-leaved cyclamen so variable?

The leaves are among the most variable of any cyclamen, and the name hederifolium means ivy-leaved. The shape runs from a true ivy outline with pointed lobes to a broad heart or a spearhead. A leaf is usually 3 to 15 cm long, and no two plants carry quite the same pattern.

The upper surface is dark green, marked with pale green, silver or grey. The underside is purple or green.

The leaves appear in autumn and last through the winter into spring. When the ground dries in late spring, they fade, and the plant rests underground through the summer. Gardeners keep it on the dry side then.

How does the tuber of a cyclamen grow, and how does it spread its seed?

The tuber is a flattened sphere that grows larger every year and can reach 25 cm across. It turns rough and flaky with age. The roots grow mainly from the sides, so the underside stays bare. An old tuber can be many decades old and as wide as a dinner plate. The same tuber sends up leaves and flowers year after year. Cyclamen is toxic to cats and dogs, and the tuber is the part that carries the most risk.

After flowering, the stalk coils and brings the seed capsule to the ground. The capsule stays at soil level while the seeds ripen, and it splits open the following summer. The seeds carry a sweet, sticky coating that attracts ants. An ant carries a seed away, eats the coating and leaves the seed unharmed in a new place. That is how a colony spreads across a woodland floor.

Cyclamen has a long history in art and symbolism. The studio’s article on cyclamen in art and its cyclamen symbolism article cover that history.

How is the ivy-leaved cyclamen different from the florist’s winter cyclamen?

The ivy-leaved cyclamen is a hardy autumn-flowering species, and the florist’s cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum, is a tender species that flowers in winter and spring. The pot plants sold in the cold months are bred from Cyclamen persicum. In the wild it grows in North Africa, the eastern Aegean, Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean, where the summers are hot and dry and the winters warm and wet.

The two differ in more than season. Cyclamen persicum is tender and needs a frost-free greenhouse or a room indoors. The ivy-leaved cyclamen lives outdoors. The Royal Horticultural Society rates it as hardy through most of the United Kingdom, even in severe winters, and has given it an Award of Garden Merit. The wild florist’s species flowers from autumn to late spring and has a tuber of about 15 cm across. The ivy-leaved tuber can grow much larger. Both have patterned leaves and swept-back petals, which is why people confuse them. They share a name and a shape, but not a home.

Drawing the cyclamen

I drew a full specimen: tuber, leaves with their marbling, and several flowers at different stages of opening. The leaves are heart-shaped, with silver marbling on green. The flowers are pink.

The tuber is part of the drawing because it holds the plant’s years: the same tuber produces leaves and flowers year after year. Several flowers at different stages show the opening as a sequence. A single flower would show one moment. Here the stages can be read side by side.

Where does a cyclamen print work on a wall?

The cool pink and silver-green of the plate suit a living room, a hallway, a study, a kitchen or a bedroom, particularly one with pale, cool-toned walls. A white or pale wood frame keeps it light and botanical, and a dark frame makes the marbled leaves read more strongly. The plate belongs to The Garden collection. In the photograph below, the Cyclamen plate hangs in a black frame on a kitchen wall.

Fine-art print →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the ivy-leaved cyclamen flower in winter?

No. The ivy-leaved cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium, flowers in autumn, from late summer to October in the wild. Its marbled leaves then stay green through the winter and into spring. The cyclamen sold in pots in winter is a different species, Cyclamen persicum. The plate shows the autumn species.

Is cyclamen poisonous to cats and dogs?

Yes. Cyclamen contains saponins that irritate the mouth and stomach, and the tuber is the most dangerous part. Eating it can cause drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea, and large amounts can cause serious harm. Keep the plant, and especially its tubers, out of reach of pets, and call a vet if a pet has eaten any.

How long does a cyclamen tuber live?

A tuber can live for many decades. The tuber of the ivy-leaved cyclamen grows larger each year, up to about 25 cm across, and the same tuber produces leaves and flowers every season.

Can the ivy-leaved cyclamen be grown in a garden?

Yes. It is one of the hardiest and most widely grown garden cyclamens, and it holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. It grows in partial shade in well-drained soil and prefers to stay dry in summer. It is grown under deciduous trees, in rock gardens and in pots.

How is this print made, and how does it reach me?

There are two formats. The digital download is a high-resolution file that you print yourself, at home or at a print shop; no physical item is shipped. The fine-art print is printed to order on archival paper or canvas, framed or unframed, in sizes from small prints to over 150 cm (60 inches), and delivered to your door.