Cyclamen
Cyclamen persicum
📖 About this plant
A charming plant with swept-back, butterfly-like flowers in pink, red, or white that rise above a mound of heart-shaped leaves marked with intricate silver patterns. The tuber stores energy through a summer dormancy period, then bursts into bloom from fall through spring. One of the most beloved winter-blooming houseplants, it thrives in cool indoor conditions that most plants find challenging.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Bright indirect (4-6 hrs)
Every 1-2 weeks
Moderate (50-60%)
13-18°C
Light, well-draining potting mix with peat, perlite, and a handful of sand; excellent drainage is critical
Half-strength liquid fertilizer (low nitrogen, high potassium) every 2 weeks while in bloom and leaf growth
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Mediterranean region — Turkey, Israel, Syria, Greece, and North Africa; grows in rocky hillsides and woodland edges
- 📏 Max height
- 15-25 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 15-30 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Fall - Spring
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Pink, Red, White
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green, Silver Patterned
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Toxic to cats, dogs, and humans — contains cyclamine and saponins; tubers are the most toxic part, causing severe gastrointestinal distress and cardiac symptoms
- 🌱 Propagation
- Tuber division (cut into sections, each with a growth eye), or seed sowing (flowers in 12-18 months)
🛡️ Health & Safety
Toxic to cats, dogs, and humans — contains cyclamine and saponins; tubers are the most toxic part, causing severe gastrointestinal distress and cardiac symptoms
Common issues
- Crown and stem rot from overwatering, Cyclamen mites, Yellowing leaves from warm temperatures
💡 Care tips
- Prefers cool temperatures unlike most flowering houseplants,Allow tuber to rest in dry soil during summer dormancy,Water from the bottom by setting pot in a saucer,Produce swept-back flowers in pink red or white
