Original collected plant

Cyclamen elegans ‘Reiko’

The leaf is cordate (heart-shaped), with repand (shallowly-waved) margins and is 38-48 mm deep by 35-41 mm wide. It has a central hastate or Xmas tree pattern surrounded by silver grey with the outer margin/rim the same dark green as the central pattern. The underside of the leaf is red-purple. The petals are slightly twisted lengthways, held horizontally, no auricles. The petal colour is fuchsia pink. The style is not exerted. The petals have an obtuse (rounded) tip and are twisted lengthways. They have a distinct basal mark on the sinus. In ‘Reiko’ the normal two white spots at the base of each corolla lobe are suffused with pink. The petal length is 18 mm, petal width 9-10 mm twisted. The tuber is smooth brown. The roots emerge from the centre of the underside of the tuber. Diameter is approximately 30 mm. The seed comes true to type greater than 90 to 95%.

The original plant was from the south coast of the Caspian Sea in northern Iran. It was collected by Yasuko Tsukui and given by her to Paul Whitlock probably in 2010. Paul sent seeds harvested from it to Jan Bravenboer as he thought it was particularly attractive. Paul and Jan then named it as a cultivar after Yasuko’s daughter Reiko. Unfortunately the original plant is no longer alive.