# Ivy-leaved cyclamen (*Cyclamen hederifolium*) Ivy-leaved cyclamen is a beautiful flower with heart-shaped leaves and lovely pink or white blooms. It grows in cool, shady places and can brighten up the forest floor in autumn. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Habitat:** Forests ![Ivy-leaved cyclamen](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/174831052/medium.jpeg) Photo: Julien Tchilinguirian, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/174831052) ## Appearance The Ivy-leaved cyclamen has heart-shaped leaves, often mottled with silver patterns, resembling ivy. Its elegant flowers typically appear in shades of pink, purple, or white, featuring petals sharply swept back from a central 'nose'. They stand on slender stems, often nodding gracefully. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Ericales - **Family:** Primulaceae - **Genus:** Cyclamen ## Interesting facts - It's sometimes called 'Sowbread' because wild pigs love to dig up and eat its tubers! - Its seeds are carried away by ants, who get a tasty snack for their hard work! - The beautiful flowers bloom with their petals swept backward, like a tiny shuttlecock! - This plant can live for an amazingly long time; some tubers are over 100 years old! ## Special abilities - **Coiling Seed Launcher:** Ivy-leaved cyclamen has a flower stem that coils like a spring after blooming, pulling its seed capsule to the ground for dispersal. - **Summer Sleeper:** Ivy-leaved cyclamen can go dormant during hot, dry summers, surviving as an underground tuber until cooler, wetter weather returns. - **Ant Attractor:** Ivy-leaved cyclamen produces seeds with a sugary treat called an elaiosome, which attracts ants to carry and disperse them. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-15 cm - **Spread:** 15-30 cm - **Flower Size:** 2-3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late summer to fall - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Moderate - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits flowers for nectar - **Symbiotic with:** [Black garden ant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-garden-ant) (*Lasius niger*) — disperses seeds for elaiosome - **Eats:** [Wild boar](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wild-boar) (*Sus scrofa*) — digs up and consumes tubers ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Fall Color](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fall-color): Fall color refers to the seasonal change in foliage pigmentation, primarily in deciduous plants, displaying vibrant hues. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Do not touch or eat any wild plants without asking an adult. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Ivy-leaved cyclamen? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Ivy-leaved cyclamen? 10-15 cm ### How wide does Ivy-leaved cyclamen spread? 15-30 cm ### How big are the flowers on Ivy-leaved cyclamen? 2-3 cm ### When does Ivy-leaved cyclamen bloom? Late summer to fall ### Is Ivy-leaved cyclamen edible? No ### Is Ivy-leaved cyclamen toxic? Moderate ### What is Ivy-leaved cyclamen's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Washington Park Arboretum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/washington-park-arboretum) — Washington, US · Botanical Garden - [Handayama Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/handayama-botanical-garden) — Chugoku, JP · Park ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Ivy-leaved cyclamen: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ivy-leaved-cyclamen)