Potted Cyclamen Coum - Pink

The Cyclamen Coum, also known as the Cyclamen of the island of Kos, is one of the most resistant species and easiest to grow. It is highly variable in appearance, with pretty pink flowers adorned with a slightly purple spot at the base. Very hardy, this lovely plant blooms in winter close to the ground, bringing some colour to the garden when other flowers are scarce. Its beautiful small round foliage, dark green with varying shades of grey-silver, appears in autumn and persists until late spring before disappearing and entering dormancy in summer. Plant it in partial shade or shade under trees, along pathways, or in shaded rockeries, where it will slowly spread to form a charming carpet.

The Cyclamen Coum is a small perennial plant with tuberous roots in the Primulaceae family. It is not native to the island of Kos, Greece, but rather to the mountains of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Lebanon, specifically Eastern Cilicia, where it is generally found in shaded areas. This small species measures approximately 10 cm (4in) in height. 

The tubers of the pink Cyclamen Coum are rounded and compressed, measuring up to 6.5 cm (3in) in diameter, and are covered with smooth and velvety skin and roots originating from their centre and base. The foliage usually develops in autumn, following a dry summer. It may sometimes appear simultaneously in cool and humid climates with flowers in January-February. The leaves, which are kidney-shaped or round, measure about 4 cm (2in) in diameter. The colour of the leaves can be a uniform shiny dark green, silver-grey, or green-silver macules. Their undersides are purple-coloured. The foliage disappears as soon as the soil dries up in June, and the plant goes into dormancy.

Flowering occurs from January to April, depending on the climate, following the flowering of Cyclamen cilicicum and Cyclamen of Naples in autumn. Initially lying on the ground, the pointed flower buds straighten up on reddish peduncles. Each flower, quite stout, measuring 1 to 2 cm (1in) in length, is composed of 5 rounded pink petals, curved backwards. They have a slightly purple spot at the base of the petals. After pollination, the flower gives way to a small round fruit, with the floral stem spiralling to allow the fruit to come into contact with the ground. Ants, which enjoy their sweet flesh, disperse the seeds.

Plant the pink-flowered Cyclamen Coum with the white variety as a carpet. They will multiply on their own over the years, forming striking mats in shaded and dry areas of the garden that are difficult to landscape. It is a perfect plant for decorating the base of a deciduous tree in woodland-type conditions. It is cold-hardy, but its tuber dislikes excessive moisture in winter and summer and does not tolerate completely drying out in summer. It will find its place in a partially shaded rockery, not too dry, in the company of anemones blanda and liverworts. To enjoy a double flowering, mix them with the Cyclamen of Naples, which bloom in autumn.