Distribution & Habitat Cyclamen graecum is a very variable species with a wild distribution which includes the southern parts of the mainland of Greece, most of the Peloponnese, the Saronic Islands, the Sporades, the islands of the eastern Aegean, Crete, Rhodes, the south coast of Turkey, and part of the north of Cyprus. It is at home on stable screes and other rocky habitats, and is happy growing both in deep pine needle litter and the hardest of conglomerates. Its altitude ranges from sea level where it can be found within a couple of metres of the high water mark, to 1200m.

Classification

Several attempts have been made to split the variants into distinct species (C. mindleri, C. maritimum, C. aegineticum, C. pseudomaritimum, C. pseudograecum, C. cypro-graecum), but to the plantsman or horticulturist it is plain that it is a single species. In 1990 Ietswaart proposed three subspecies: anatolicum, candicum and graecum. However, in 1999 A.P. Davis and R. Govaerts found that C. graecum ssp. candicum was illegitimate as the epithet mindleri predated it. The taxon C. persicum Mill. ssp. mindleri (Heldr.) was published in 1905, and although this taxon was in fact assigned to the wrong species, at sub-specific rank the name mindleri is valid. Thus plants of C. graecum ssp. candicum should now be referred to as C. graecum ssp. mindleri A.P. Davis & Govaerts.

1. Flowers small and/or slender, usually sweetly scented; auricles barely present to slightly developed, basal blotch compact. ..........................................................................................................................................................ssp. anatolicum
....Flowers relatively large and/or robust, usually not sweetly scented; auricles well developed to pronounced, basal blotch elongated along the veins. .............................................................................................................................................2

2. Corolla white or tinged pink, auricles and basal blotch pronounced. ...............................................ssp. mindleri
....Corolla pale or dark (purplish) pink, auricles and basal blotch normally developed. .........................ssp. graecum

Ietswaart gave distributions as follows:

ssp. graecum: Greece: Steresa, Peloponnese, Crete, west, central and north Aegean islands, Athos, east Aegean islands other than Rhodes.
ssp. mindleri: Lefka Ori area in west Crete.
ssp. anatolicum: Rhodes, other south-east Aegean islands, west and south Turkey, Cyprus.

Unfortunately, this classification is controversial and relies entirely on flower characteristics. For example: Cyclamen graecum is widespread on the island of Crete. Many of the forms found there are distinctly different from examples found elsewhere, but the distinct forms are not limited to Lefka Ori. The Cyclamen Society's 1991 expedition to the island of Rhodes collected a number of plants with leaf forms not found elsewhere, but also collected one plant (CSE 91466) which has flowers which visually, and by analysis, key out to be closer to ssp. mindleri than ssp. anatolicum.
Moore (1996) supports the fact that this sub-division is erroneous and concludes that it is only valid to name these plants at the specific level.

Description

The leaves of Cyclamen graecum are infinitely variable and include some of the most striking patterns and vivid colour combinations found in the entire genus. Moore (1996) says "...the basic colour is dark green, though all shades from black/green through grey/green to lime green can be found. The leaf pattern is usually contrasting blotches or bands of cream, green, grey or silver. The combinations are so numerous that a collection of different leaf forms could be a study in itself." In addition, pure silver leaf forms have been discovered, one of which was found by the Cyclamen Society's President, Brian Mathew, above Glyfada southeast of Athens, and this is now in cultivation under the varietal name Cyclamen graecum 'Glyfada'

The flowers of C. graecum appear either just before, or with the leaves and vary from pale pink to deep carmine, with a magenta blotch at the base. There is also a rare albino form, Cyclamen graecum f. album, which was first discovered by R & E. Frank in 1980 in the Peloponnese. It has since been found in other locations including the Rodopou Peninsula in Crete.

Another obscure form was one discovered by Glasau from an undesignated island in the Aegean in 1939. According to Saunders (1976), the plant, C. graecum f. gaidurowryssii var. malingeri, is tetraploid. Saunders goes on to say that no discription of the plant was published, and that it must be regarded as a nomen nudum, however, plants still exist in cultivation under that name.

Cyclamen graecum has a very corky tuber and is alone in the genus in have strong, fleshy thong-like roots, which it is said, are contractile.

Cultivation

In cultivation, some forms of the plant will stand significant frost particularly if the tuber is deeply planted. In pots C. graecum thrives in a frost free glasshouse and although usually planted at the surface of the compost, enjoys deep pots which accommodate the fleshy roots. Although a plant which grows in exposed conditions in the wild, there is evidence that it appreciates the addition of decayed pine needle litter in the compost. There is also evidence that flowering is encouraged if the plant receives a degree of baking in the summer, as long as there is a little moisture at the end of the roots.