Wild Hardy Cyclamen

Sure we love to recycle things here in Oregon, but this post has nothing to do with that! Cyclamen is a genus of flowering plants in the Primulaceae (Primrose) family that bloom in the Fall. Here in western Oregon you are likely to see the odd looking, dainty, purple blooms of the Hardy Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) in shady moist areas right now (9/25/2013). They tend to form vast colonies of spreading tubers, and can carpet the forest floor with their purple and white blooms.

There are about two dozen Cyclamen species. Most can be grown outdoors. You may be familiar with the Florist Cyclamen (C.persicum) that is often given as a gift and must be grown indoors as it is not hardy.

Cyclamens are native to the Mediteraniun basin area of Europe. In some areas the wild species have been excessively removed by locals to use in flower shops, to the point of near extinction.

While researching Cyclamens, I discovered many poems have been written in reference to them. Most seem to be on the morbid side for some odd reason. Here's an example verse by Arlo Bates:

Over the plains where Persian hosts
Laid down their lives for glory
Flutter the cyclamens, like ghosts
That witness to their story.
Oh, fair! Oh, white! Oh, pure as snow!
On countless graves how sweet they grow!    (Complete poem here)

On a lighter note, there are quite a few blooming right now at Jenkins Estate, under the cover of large firs. They push up through the piles of needles on the ground. Each leaf has its own stalk as does each flower. The flowers sit about six inches off the ground and are about 3/4 tall. I observed very few leaves, although a few were coming up.

Purple Flowers

White Flowers

Typical Clump Under the Trees

An Advanced Cyclamen Colony