Cyclamen autumn/winter 2007

[DaveM]

Don't know where else to put the following - just some Cyclamen cilicium from the Eastern Taurus mountains, Turkey, in early November.
These grow along the field boundaries and in among the limestone exposures, typically trying to hide under shrubs (Commonly Quercus coccifera - ouch!!!)

[annew]

These are great. It must be very special to see them in their native habitat.

[Paul T]

Fantastic!! 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great !!!!
 

[SueG]

Lovely pictures - thanks
Sue

[Kees Jan]

Nice to see pictures of C. cilicium in the wild, I always expected this to be a species typical of woodland (like hederifolium), but apparently it isn't!

I need some help to find out the name of this Cyclamen. It was photographed in SW Turkey, between Dalaman en Gölhisar at about 600 m. This was open woodland (mainly oak I think) and the Cyclamen was found in moss on limestone rocks. Any ideas? Most of the plants just showed leaves, but one plant had flower buds visible, see pics.... Any suggestions will be much appreciated!!!

Could it possibly be a very early form of C. coum or C. alpinum???

[Hans J]

Hi Kees ,

This could be C. alpinum or with the older name C.trochoptheranthum !

Greetings
Hans

[annew]

The leaves look like alpinum.

[Kees Jan]

Many thanks! In the meantime I had a look in 'The Genus Cyclamen' and according to the distribution map of Cyclamen coum that species does not occur in SW Turkey. Does anyone know if populations of coum have been found since the publication of this book in the SW of Turkey? If not I think the plants I saw must be C. alpinum since I don't know of any other species from SW Turkey that looks similar to the plants I photographed.

[Tim Murphy]

Hello Kees, I spent two weeks in Turkey back in 2003 on a Cyclamen Society field trip to study Cyclamen mirabile and we also saw C. alpinum in southwest Turkey. C. coum does not grow in that part of Turkey. We did see C. coum (and C. intaminatum too), but much further north whilst on the way back to Istanbul from Afyon. Like others here have said, the plant in your photos is definitely C. alpinum.

Dave, your photos of C. cilicium are excellent. We found C. mirabile growing in the same environment, and always growing with Quercus coccifera. Not easy to photograph or collect plants (with the relevant CITES documents, of course) when they are right in the middle of the Quercus!

[Kees Jan]

Thanks Tim

[DaveM]

Thanks, Tim. I can still recall the pain!! 
But then, if they grew in the open, I guess there might not be any Cyclamen to take pix of...... plenty of signs of wild pigs in some of the localities we visited.
We did see C cilicium growing in a woodland margin habitat at one locality, though here again there was some protection from shrubs (but not quite so prickly!!!). It never ceases to amaze me how the these plants tuck themselves into solution crevices (see pix below) - but not much help to you guys collecting, but much more comfortable to photograph 
I saw C mirabile at one locality last year in Antalya area, but this was in pine duff in deep shade of coniferous woodland.

[Tim Murphy]

Hi Dave, yeah, me too; it was my job to extract the plants for collection, regardless of where they were growing! Some plants were impossible to get to because of the Quercus. We saw a lot of mirabile growing in a similar situation to that in your last photos, at a site on the shores of Lake Egirdir. I scratched away a several tubers only to find that they were wedged in very tightly and as a result had formed all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes and were not coming out in one piece.

We only saw wild pig damage at one site in a colony of C. intaminatum.

[Paul T]

Kees,

I know it isn't supposed to be there, but the leaves of the unidentified plant you posted remind me a lot of C. libanoticum, or at least the libanoticum form I have here anway.  The thickness, scalloping on the edges etc, as well as the markings.  But I can't find reference to any being found in S/W turkey.  Also no size reference to be able to compare, as I assume the leaves of libanoticum are usually much larger?  I am prepared to be shot down in flames....... but without the locality my first thought from the picture was libanoticum leaves.  I'll also emphasise here that I am most definitely not an expert. 

[Tim Murphy]

Paul, C. libanoticum is definitely absent from Turkey. It grows only in Lebanon and is fairly localised I think. I have posted some photos of one of my own libanoticum for comparison. The leaves of alpinum are usually smaller than those of libanoticum. Also, the markings on the leaves of libanoticum are usually an olive green, whereas the markings on alpinum are usually much closer to a silver or cream colour. The leaf shape is significantally different too.

Given the location of the plant found by Kees and also seeing the photos, I can say that without doubt, it is 100% C. alpinum. Do you have any photos of your alpinum, Paul? It sounds interesting.

Edited to add photos!!