Cyclamen (US: /ˈsaɪkləmən/ SY-klə-mən or UK: /ˈsɪkləmən/ SIK-lə-mən)[2][3][4] is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae.

They grow from tubers and are valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves.

Pliny the Elder describes how it was called in antiquity by Roman country men: tūber terrae, literally "earth truffle" or also amulētum "amulet", because it was believed that evil spells had no effect where it grew.

[11] In many languages cyclamen species are colloquially called by a name like the English sowbread or swinebread (because they are said to be eaten by pigs), based on Medieval Latin panis porcinus: Saubrot in German, pain de pourceau in French, pan porcino in Italian and varkensbrood in Dutch.

In most species leaves come up in autumn, grow through the winter and then die in spring, then the plant goes dormant through the dry Mediterranean summer.

The storage organ of the cyclamen is a round tuber, which develops from the hypocotyl (the stem of a seedling).

The storage organ of the cyclamen has no papery covering and, depending on the species, roots may grow out of any part.

Most species have leaves variegated in several shades of green and silver, either in an irregular pattern of blotches or an arrowhead or Christmas-tree shape.

[14] The lower side of leaves is often shiny and its color varies from plain green to rich red or purple.

In some species, such as Cyclamen hederifolium, the petal edges at the nose are curved outwards into auricles (Latin for ‘little ears’).

In Cyclamen rohlfsianum, however, the cone of anthers sticks out prominently, about 2–3 mm (0.08–0.12 in) beyond the rim of the corolla, similar to shooting-stars (Primula sect.

A study published in 2004 produced a similar phylogeny in a combined analysis of molecular and morphological data:[18] C. creticum C. repandum C. balearicum C. hederifolium C. africanum C. purpurascens C. colchicum C. rohlfsianum C. graecum C. persicum C. somalense C. parviflorum C. pseudibericum C. libanoticum C. cyprium C. cilicium C. mirabile C. intaminatum C. alpinum C. coum C. elegans A comparison of the groups produced in the two studies shows them to be very similar (see the table below).

Cyclamen diversity in the Mediterranean has been studied extensively to understand how the species remain distinct (Debussche et al., 2000, 2002, 2003) and how they have reacted to the dramatic climate changes in the region.

[19] In many areas within the native range cyclamen populations have been severely depleted by collection from the wild, often illegally, for the horticultural trade; some species are now endangered as a result.

However in a few areas plant-conservation charities have educated local people to control the harvest carefully at a sustainable level, including sowing seed for future crops, both sustaining the wild populations and producing a reliable long-term income.

In the sixteenth century, women in their early stages of pregnancy avoided cyclamens in fear of a miscarriage because they were considered to strongly induce childbirth.

[20] Cyclamens were used as love-charms, aphrodisiacs, and intoxicant and a small amount would be put in cakes or a cup of wine.

Selected cyclamen cultivars have white, bright pink, red or purple flowers.