The heat-loving cyclamen prefers to hide in the shade of tall trees and bushes in the natural conditions of the wild and settle on the slopes of the mountains. Therefore, it is possible to meet this beautiful flower, which blooms when other plants are already preparing for rest, only in the southern regions of Russia, the Caucasus, Central Europe and in the Mediterranean countries.
Because cyclamen is a rare "guest" in the garden, many flower growers are sure that it is exclusively an indoor flower. However, cyclamen feels great on a personal plot, if you allocate a place for it in the partial shade of fruit trees or evergreen shrubs, protecting it from drafts and direct sunlight. A good cyclamen in arranging an alpine slide. The choice of this arrangement of the flower is explained by its location in the wild, where it is found both in the forest and among the rocks.
The distribution area of cyclamen in the wild
Cyclamen is a thermophilic plant that prefers moderate moisture and shade. Therefore, most species grow in thickets of forests or shrubs, as well as in rock crevices. On the territory of the former Soviet Union, cyclamens are found in Ukraine, in the Crimea, in the south-west of the Caucasus, in the south of Azerbaijan, in the Krasnodar Territory. From the countries of Central Europe, France, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria can boast of the habitat of cyclamens, where plants are mainly found in the south and southeast.
Species from these regions, or "immigrants" from northern Turkey, are quite suitable for breeding in a garden in the European part of Russia, especially since the eastern Mediterranean is a real klondike of cyclamens: Turkey, Iran, Syria, Cyprus, Greece, Israel. In the west of the Mediterranean, in Italy and Spain, cyclamens also grow. On a hill near the Italian lake Castel Kaldorf, you can observe their amicable flowering, which rarely happens in nature. After all, most of the wild species are on the verge of extinction. Northern Tunisia and Algeria are rich in cyclamen.
Varieties of wild cyclamen
I must say that, depending on the habitat, cyclamens have different endurance. For example, ivy-leaved cyclamen or Neapolitan cyclamen, common in central Europe, may well overwinter in a snowy Russian winter with a temperature of -20 ° C. It stands out from the general range of thermophilic species of European cyclamen (purple). It is characterized by a silvery leaf pattern and flowering not in autumn, like most cyclamens, but starting in June.
Sometimes it is extremely unfair to treat cyclamens growing in the territories of Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Adjara, calling all species with one word "Caucasian". After all, such varieties are distinguished here as Circassian, Abkhazian, Colchis (Pontic), spring, graceful, Kos. The latter is well known in Iran, Turkey, Syria, Israel and Bulgaria. Prefers to grow among coniferous vegetation. Its flowers are larger the further to the east. The largest flowers of the kos cyclamen are considered on the shores of the Caspian Sea, in Azerbaijan.
In the south of France and the mountainous regions of Spain, a small type of cyclamen is widespread - Balearic, belonging to spring flowering. The most thermophilic is the African cyclamen, the distinctive features of which are bright green large leaves that appear on the surface after the flowers. The habitat of many species of cyclamen can be guessed by the name: African cyclamen, Cypriot, Greekum, Persian. Persian, like African, absolutely does not tolerate even slight frosts.
