Cyclamen
Cyclamen persicum
Also called Florist's cyclamen and Persian violet
Houseplant · FloweringIt wants a cold windowsill. In a warm room it collapses and everyone blames themselves.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Hard
- Water
- Every 5 daysFrom below — stand the pot in a couple of centimetres of water.
- Light
- Bright indirect, cool
- Feed
- Every 21 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Tender — no frost at all RHS H2, to 1°C
- Size
- 0.25 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Bulb
- Origin
- Eastern Mediterranean
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea. If a lot of the tubers are eaten: an irregular heartbeat, seizures and death.
PeopleHarmful if eaten
The tuber above all — the leaves and flowers are far weaker.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- The whole plant wilts with the compost still damp, and a light tug lifts it clean off a tuber grazed bare underneath.Vine weevil · pest
- A fawn fuzz on a spent flower stalk right where it enters the crown — always starts on the dead petal, then walks down.Grey mould · disease