Interspecific hybridization between Cyclamen hederifolium and C. purpurascens

In recent years, horticultural cyclamen cultivars (Cyclamen persicum Mill.) have been used for garden plants as well as indoor potted plants in Japan.
There are, however, only few suitable cultivars for garden plants in Japan because almost all cyclamen genotypes have been bred as indoor potted flowers.
Almost all the cultivars have been bred through intraspecific cross-breeding in C. persicum, whereas some wild species in the genus Cyclamen have useful characteristics. C. hederifolium Aiton is one of the most vigorous and hardy species.
Although almost all Cyclamen species, including C. hederifolium, have a dormant period in their life cycle in Japan, C. purpurascens doesn’t have this trait.
Therefore, interspecific crosses between C. hederifolium and C. purpurascens were performed.
After the interspecific crosses, ovule cultures with and without chromosome doubling were also examined.
The interspecific hybrids were obtained by the embryo rescue.
There was, however, no amphidiploid among the flowering hybrids.
The hybrids exhibited intermediate life cycles between C. hederifolium and C. purpurascens.

XIV International Symposium on Flower Bulbs and Herbaceous Perennials

T. Takamura, S. Mukai, M. Kubota, T. Narumi-Kawasaki

cyclamen, interspecific cross, interspecific hybrid, ovule culture

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1435.24