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The cyclamen plants we see in stores today are intra-specific hybrids of Cyclamen persicum, commonly known as ‘Florist’s cyclamen’. Florist’s cyclamen comes in many different forms, from large to mini cultivars showing blooms of red, purple, pink or white and even ruffled cultivars. The potted indoor blooms we are familiar with are F1 hybrid seed strains originally bred in the mid-nineteenth century using selection and back-crossing (www.cyclamen.org). Traditionally Cyclamen persicum hybrids have been propagated sexually for commercial and private use. Gardeners in USDA hardiness zones 5a and above can use seed to produce cyclamen for their perennial gardens. But, with the rising popularity of cyclamen as houseplants inbred depression, inhomogeneity in some cultivars, and the high costs of manual labor involved in seed production have become concerns for commercial cyclamen growers (Winklemann et al. 2004). Vegetative propagation of Cyclamen persicum is more difficult than with many houseplants. There has been little success with using stem cuttings, and although propagation by division is possible Cyclamen persicum tubers have few growing points, this makes mass propagation by division impractical. |
