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The flowers of C. mirabile are deliciously honey scented and delicately fimbriate (fringed); the rounded leaves can have a curious puckered appearance, with marginal teeth, which are absent in C. cilicium. Flower color can be pale to mid pink, or white, the latter being characteristic of the cultivar 'Tilebarn Jan'. 'Tilebarn Nicholas' and 'Tilebarn Anne' were selected for their remarkable leaf coloration, especially in the juvenile stage. 'Tilebarn Nicholas' has a bright raspberry flush in an outer band on the young leaves, the inner portion of the leaves being marked with a glossy green "Christmas tree." The raspberry eventually fades to a muted pewter shade. In 'Tilebarn Anne', the entire surface of the young leaves is raspberry pink, producing a spectacular display. |
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Vegetative propagation is not a realistic proposition but C. mirabile is easily raised from seed, best sown as soon as possible after ripening in mid-summer, and certainly before the fall if prompt germination is desired. Seedlings can be left undisturbed for two or three years before being potted up into a well drained but moisture-retentive compost, siting the tuber at or just below the compost surface. Seedlings should be kept cool and damp during their first summer, to ensure they remain in growth as long as possible. In subsequent years plants will go dormant in early summer, after which point water should be withheld until the early fall when the new growth can be seen. If planted in the garden they should be sited such that they will not receive much moisture during the summer months. Even though efforts have been undertaken to derive true-breeding strains, only a percentage of the offspring of a plant meeting the cultivar description will comply, and the others should be rogued out. Pests and diseases are not usually a problem, although over watering or a poorly drained compost can rapidly lead to fungal rots. Whether in the greenhouse or the garden, some shade is beneficial, as is a mulch of grit or relatively fine leaves or pine needles.
October
2002
Cyclamen
mirabile is perhaps the most exciting of these three
Turkish species, especially with the recent introduction of
some beautiful cultivars by Peter Moore of Tilebarn Nursery
in the UK. It is found in South-west Anatolia, where it
grows in Pinus brutia forests
and hill slopes with maquis, on limestone, metamorphic and
granitic rocks, at altitudes of 400-1600m (1,311-5,245 ft).
In the wild it flowers from September to November, in
cultivation October is usually the peak month in the
northern hemisphere.
