Myrsine Family [Myrsinaceae] |
status
flower
inner
morph
petals
stem
toxicity
sex
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 :
Some similarities to : Eastern Sowbread, a plant in the same Genus, but 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,
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Cyclamen | hederifolium | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Myrsinaceae |
Cyclamen (Sowbreads) |
Myrsine Family [Myrsinaceae] |