SOWBREAD

Cyclamen hederifolium

Myrsine Family [Myrsinaceae]

month8aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZneophyte
flower
flower8mauve inner8pink inner8purple
inner
inner8white inner8purple
morph
morph8zygo
petals
petalsZ5
stem
stem8round
toxicity
toxicityZmedium
sex
sexZbisexual

Oct 2011, Bradley Woods, Newton Abbot, Devon. Photo: © Duane Breslan
A low plant up to 4 inches high growing in a tuft. Leaves satin on upperside, toothed, and broadly arrow-shaped.


Oct 2011, Bradley Woods, Newton Abbot, Devon. Photo: © Duane Breslan
Flowers hang upside down on stalks which fold over near the summit.


Oct 2011, Bradley Woods, Newton Abbot, Devon. Photo: © Duane Breslan
Leaf stalks reddish. Flower stalks twice as tall as leaves, but tightly coiled before un-furling.


Oct 2011, Bradley Woods, Newton Abbot, Devon. Photo: © Duane Breslan
Leaves vary from a dark green to near-black, with a lighter-coloured halo in the middle.


Oct 2011, Bradley Woods, Newton Abbot, Devon. Photo: © Duane Breslan
Leaves wrinkled at the edge. Leaf outline and patterning reminiscent of the Mandelbrot Set.


10th Sept 2014, towpath, L&L canal, Litherland, Sefton. Photo: © RWD
Escaped onto the towpath from a back garden.


10th Sept 2014, towpath, L&L canal, Litherland, Sefton. Photo: © RWD
It likes to grow upside-down facing the centre of the Earth. 5 propeller-like lilac-pink petals.


10th Sept 2014, towpath, L&L canal, Litherland, Sefton. Photo: © RWD
The stem curls over like an umbrella handle and has numerous minute red dots on it (perhaps very stubby hairs). The five lanceolate petals are often twisted.


10th Sept 2014, towpath, L&L canal, Litherland, Sefton. Photo: © RWD
The opening has 5 lips rolled backwards with a red band in the centre.


10th Sept 2014, towpath, L&L canal, Litherland, Sefton. Photo: © RWD
Inside are what appear to be 5 pink double-barrelled anthers. They are of course 5 anthers which are rolled up each side. They are sprinkled with purple dots on their outsides.


10th Sept 2014, towpath, L&L canal, Litherland, Sefton. Photo: © RWD
The rear of the flower showing the sepal cup.


10th Sept 2014, towpath, L&L canal, Litherland, Sefton. Photo: © RWD
The leaves on this specimen are roundly-toothed and somewhat undulating. The leaves have the same darker-green 'mandelbrot-like' pattern in the centre. The leaves are cardioid (or pointed-cardioid) in shape, often with 6 edges (8 if you count the 'cut' at the rear).


10th Sept 2014, towpath, L&L canal, Litherland, Sefton. Photo: © RWD
The rear of the leaf is a striking purple colour between the greenish and prominent veins. The leaf stalk is minutely puckered (as probably is the whole leaf).


Not to be confused semantically with : Sow-thistles such as Corn Sow-thistle, Prickly Sow-Thistle or Smooth Sow-Thistle [plants with similar names but from a differing Family], nor with Blue-Sowthistles such as Common Blue-Sowthistle.

Some similarities to : Eastern Sowbread, a plant in the same Genus, but Eastern Cyclamen has very different leaves which are kidney shaped.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature : Every visible aspect about this plant is unique to Cyclamens (and probably some invisible ones as well - such as it's chemistry).

No relation to : Sow-thistles such as Corn Sow-thistle (Sonchus arvensis) [a plant with similar name belonging to a differing family].

Five triterpene saponins (oleanane glycosides) have been isolated from this Sowbread, Hederifoliosides A-E. They are poisonous as is the plant.


  Cyclamen hederifolium  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Myrsinaceae  

Distribution
 family8Myrsine family8Myrsinaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Cyclamen
Cyclamen
(Sowbreads)

SOWBREAD

Cyclamen hederifolium

Myrsine Family [Myrsinaceae]

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