From Winter to Autumn – The Autumn Cyclamen

The Persian cyclamen flowers in winter; we know this and look forward to the cyclamen carpets and tours, which reach their peak in February. But those in the know tell us that cyclamen can be seen flowering on cliffs already in October, so what’s so special about cyclamen and what makes them flower in autumn?

The autumn cyclamen is actually a subspecies of the Persian cyclamen that evolved over time. One of its interesting traits is that just like the squill, its flowers appear before its leaves (unlike the Persian cyclamen and most other flowers) and its heart-shaped leaves begin to grow with the first rains.

In a research project conducted at Ramat Hanadiv by Dr. Racheli Schwartz-Tzachor, cyclamen seeds were collected and sown in the gardens at Ramat Hanadiv, in order to surprise visitors to the gardens during autumn with dozens of autumn cyclamen, before the great cyclamen bloom in winter.