Cyclamen

Cyclamen is a genus of 25 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. The species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They grow from tubers and are valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves.

Cyclamen persicum, the Persian cyclamen, is native to rocky hillsides, shrubland and woodland up to 1,200 m above sea level, from south-central Turkey to the Levant. Cultivars of this species are the commonly seen florist's cyclamen. In the species the flowers are sweetly scented, but the scent has been lost in cultivated forms.

Of 17 wild Cyclamen species studied, 14 emitted fragrant compounds. C. pseudibericum, C. cyprium, C. libanoticum, C. purpurascens, C. cilicium and C. alpinum emitted floral compounds, and C. mirabile emitted fruity compounds. The fragrances of C. coum, C. parviflorum and C. balearicum were very weak. All the interspecific scented cyclamen currently available were bred by crossing Cyclamen persicum with a single wild species, C. purpurascens.

Cyclamen aldehyde is an organic compound whose IUPAC name is 2-methyl-3-(4-propan-2-ylphenyl)propanal. It is a chiral compound, although it is most commonly used as the racemate. It is soluble in most fixed oils and in ethanol, and insoluble in water, propylene glycol and glycerin. It was granted generally recognized as safe status by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association in 1965 and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for food use in the United States. In 1970 the Council of Europe included it in the list of admissible artificial flavoring substances, at a level of 1 ppm.

—

Related: Acerola Blossom · Albizia · Anisaldehyde · Apple Blossom · Babys Breath · Campion Flower · Cannonball Flower · Cotton Flower