Distribution & Habitat Cyclamen mirabile is found growing in South-west Anatolia, Turkey, 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), and flowers from September to November.

C. mirabile has a chequered history. It was first described by Hildebrand in 1906 after he received tubers from Messrs van Tubergen, which had been collected in Smyrna, Turkey. Eventually, these plants died and the species was effectively lost to knowledge. It was not until 1956 that Peter Davis & Oleg Polunin found a single plant growing in the wild, between Çine and Yatagum near Mugla in Western Turkey. Later, in 1965, Peter Davis discovered a population growing between Gökbel and Çine, and collected a substantial quantity under PD 41498.

Description

The flowers appear from September to November and are a pale to deep pink with a very characteristic magenta blotch at the base of each petal. The petals are 15-23mm (0.6-1.0 inches) long and 4.5-7mm (0.2-0.3 inches) wide, often with a dentate margin. A pure albino form C. mirabile forma niveum Grey-Wilson & J. White, exists and is in cultivation under the cultivar name C. mirabile 'Tilebarn Jan'. The flowers are extremely attractive, but it is the leaves which are most distinctive. These are generally sub-orbicular with shallow dentations at the margins. The upper surface often has silvery markings, but very often there are carmine-pink zones which are especially pronounced when the leaves are immature, and often ages to a silvery grey. In some forms the red colouring covers the entire surface of the leaf, ageing to an allover silver wash. This form is available in cultivation under the name C. mirabile 'Tilebarn Ann'. An intermediate form with a dark Christmas Tree shape in the centre, surrounded by a wide pink/silver band is named C. mirabile 'Tilebarn Nicholas'.

Cyclamen mirabile has a chromosome count of 2n=30.

Cultivation

In the wild, through at least part of its distribution, C. mirabile grows in an area of Anatolia which is extremely cold in winter. Its hardiness is not in doubt, and it will survive temperatures as low as -16ºC. Young leaves may be cut down by a severe early frost, but mature leaves will go limp and recover when temperatures rise. It will survive low temperatures better if growing in relatively dry conditions and does well either in raised beds or around the base of trees or shrubs. C. mirabile is another species which enjoys decayed pine-needle litter incorporated into the soil, or compost if grown in pots.