Florist's cyclamen

What the sources say about its care

Sources file this plant under other names: Cyclamen spp (ASPCA, genus only). Citations below point at the name its source uses.

Light

Full sun, Partial shade

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Water

Well-drained

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%

Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °C

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Soil

Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Toxic to cats

Toxic

ASPCA names the genus (Cyclamen spp), not the species.

ASPCA, filed as Cyclamen spp · read 13 September 2026

Toxic to dogs

Toxic

ASPCA names the genus (Cyclamen spp), not the species.

ASPCA, filed as Cyclamen spp · read 13 September 2026

Harmful to people

No harm is recorded, only a note: the bulbs are ornamental and should not be eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.

RHS · read 13 September 2026

How it usually goes wrong

Buds that yellow and drop on a leafy plant

Buds appear on the florist's cyclamen and then fall while still closed, often within days of the plant being moved, turned or left to dry out.

A bud is the most expensive thing on the plant. Kept below the full sun, partial shade its source names, or moved while in bud, the florist's cyclamen abandons buds before it abandons leaves.

Telling it apart: When the buds dropped. Within days of a move or a dry spell is the change; buds that drop with nothing changed point at uneven watering or pests on the buds.

RHSFlorist's cyclamen leaves turning yellow: causes

Crisp margins that appear in winter

The florist's cyclamen shows browning on many leaves at once, all at the margin, with no spots or soft patches anywhere.

The edges fail first because they are the end of the plumbing. Penn State Extension cites 30% to 60% as the recommended indoor range, and winter heating regularly takes a room under it.

Telling it apart: Look at the pot rim and the soil surface. A white crust points at a build-up from tap water or feed rather than at the air. Penn State also reports misting and pebble trays do little to the humidity around a plant.

Penn State ExtensionFlorist's cyclamen brown leaf tips and edges: causes

The whole plant sags between waterings

The florist's cyclamen hangs evenly all over, and the compost has gone pale and hard. Nothing is spotted or rotten; the plant is simply short of water.

Stored water is spent before the plant gives up anything else, and the tissue creases as it empties. Its source describes well-drained soil, which assumes the store is refilled.

Telling it apart: Lift the pot. A plant that is light and sagging is thirsty; one that is heavy and sagging is not.

RHSFlorist's cyclamen drooping or wilting: causes

Washed-out patches that do not spread to the shaded side

Upper surfaces lose colour while the undersides stay green, and nothing below the top of the plant is touched.

Sun through a window on a still day heats a leaf far above the air around it. Its source describes full sun, partial shade; the glass adds the heat that does the damage.

Telling it apart: Whether the patches grow. Scorch is done once it happens; a leaf spot keeps spreading.

RHSDiagnose spots on the leaves on this Florist's cyclamen

Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Florist's cyclamen.

Routine care

Watering

Water only once the soil feels dry, and keep water off the crown, as that can make the tubers rot. Pour water around the rim or at the pot's base.

NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

During growth, water moderately and feed every two weeks with a low nitrogen liquid fertiliser. After flowering, water less, and keep dry while dormant.

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Feeding

While growing, water moderately and give a low-nitrogen liquid fertiliser every two weeks.

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Propagation

Cyclamens are grown from seed and by division. Division can be difficult too, as the tuber rots easily.

NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Sow seed in darkness at 12 to 15°C once ripe. Soaking the seed for 10 hours before sowing can help.

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Pruning

Pruning is not needed.

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Pests and diseases

Can be troubled by squirrels and mice, and by vine weevil when in containers. Diseases: black root rot and cyclamen grey mould.

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Photographs

About the plant

Native range

Algeria to E. Medit.

World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.

Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026

Algeria to East Mediterranean

NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

E Mediterranean

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Climate

subtropical

World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.

Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026

Growth form

tuberous geophyte

World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.

Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026

Bulb, Herbaceous Perennial; habit erect, mounding

NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Tufted (deciduous)

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Size

Height 6–9 in; width 6–9 in

NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 years

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Flowering

Flowers pink, purple/lavender, red/burgundy, white; blooms in spring, winter

NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Flowers pink in spring and winter; white in spring and winter

RHS · read 13 September 2026

Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

Used for unspecified medical conditions. Cyclamen tubers are poisonous: eaten raw they may cause severe diarrhea and possibly death. The petals are sometimes made into tea.

NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Common problems with Florist's cyclamen

• Yellow leaves
• Drooping or wilting
• Brown tips and edges
• Leaves falling off
• No flowers, dropped buds

Other Cyclamen

• Greek CyclamenSourced care, difficulty not yet judged

More of the Primulaceae family

• German PrimroseSourced care, difficulty not yet judged

Plants with similar care

• Barberton daisyEdges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
• Dendrobium orchidA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
• GardeniaBuds form and fall before they open
• Indian azaleaDry, bruised edges after a cold, windy spell
• No photograph yetZebra plantBrown, papery patches on the leaves nearest the glass

Sources

• ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
• Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
• NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
• Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
• RHS · read 13 September 2026
• Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.