Cyclamen

sik'la-men, a beautiful greenhouse flower widely introduced from Persia. The flower scapes and leaves spring from a tuber. The leaves are heartshaped and are beautifully variegated. The petals bend sharply backward, giving the flower at first glimpse somewhat the appearance of a violet. The petals vary in color from white to rose. The common varieties are scentless. The cyclamen is raised chiefly from seed. The seed appears to require two months to germinate, but in reality it produces a small corm before leaves appear. The genus belongs to the primrose family. See Primrose