Distribution & Habitat Cyclamen purpurascens has a wide distribution in Europe and extends further north than any other species. It is found through Eastern France, Switzerland, Northern Italy, Southern Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegowina, Yugoslavia, FYR Macedonia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. Description For many years Cyclamen purpurascens was known as Cyclamen europaeum Linnaeus, and was sold as such through the horticultural trade. However, the epithet europaeum had been applied to a number of species over a period of time, including C. repandum and C. hederifolium.

Finally, it was rejected by the 1972 Seattle Conference of the International Code of Botantical Nomenclature.

C. purpurascens grows in deciduous or partly evergreen woods, generally overlying limestone. It also grows in shaded and semi-shaded places amongst rocks and tree-roots and occasionally on stabilised screes, at altitudes between 250 -1300m (820 - 4,260 ft) and flowers between June and September. It is particularly common in Beech (Fagus) woods, where it can be found growing in up to 30cm (12 inches) of leaf litter.

It has leaves which range from kidney-shaped to heart-shaped, and although some forms have plain green leaves, there are generally some silvery/whitish markings. In some forms there is an all-over silvery wash, and this appears to be particularly common in forms from around Lake Garda in northern Italy - these forms are often named 'Limone' or 'Lake Garda form'. C. purpurascens retains its leaves throughout the year and seems uneffected by snow or quite severe frost.

The flowers vary in colour from a pale (often muddy) pink, through a dark rose to carmine, in all cases with a slightly darker nose. Particularly deep flowered forms are to be found in the Lake Bled area of Slovenia. There is an albino form - Cyclamen purpurascens f. album - although many clones of this are either off-white or are not very vigorous. Many forms are highly scented, particularly in warm still conditions. C. purpurascens is often shy to set seed and the seed takes a full year to mature on the plant. Even if sown immediately, it often takes a full year or more to germinate.

There is a form which is often referred to as either C. fatrense or C. purpurascens f. fatrense, which is found in the mountains of Czechoslovakia. This is in fact merely a form of C. purpurascens ssp. purpurascens which has plain green leaves and larger more deeply coloured flowers, but it is horticulturally desirable.

C. purpurascens has a chromosome count of 2n=34.

Cultivation

Cultivation of C. purpurascens can be guided by the conditions under which it grows in the wild. It is essentially a woodland plant and thrives in leaf litter (particularly of Fagus or 'Beech' trees. It requires well shaded conditions and a plentiful supply of moisture throughout the year, as it does not go dormant like most other species. It is generally fully hardy and will cope with temperatures as low as -20ºC (-4ºF), although like many other tuberous plants, may suffer from rot if extreme cold is combined with overly wet soil conditions. One member of the Society who lives in a zone 4 area of New York State, USA has reported the species growing outside in temperatures as low as -28ºC (-19ºF). In pots, it must be maintained in damp compost throughout the year and be shaded from the sun in summer if grown under glass. A position under glasshouse staging is probably most suitable. It responds well if a high proportion of leafmould is incorporated into the compost. It is said by some growers that it only flowers satisfactorily if in a pot-bound state.