Cyclamen Society Field Study: Georgia 2013

In the December 2012 Journal, Clare Trivedi and Tsira Mikatadze-Pantsulaia said ‘There is an urgent
need to survey potential sites for further populations [of C. colchicum] and collect more
seed for ex situ conservation and further research’. Inevitably this lead to the
Society’s Research Sub-Committee considering and subsequently approving
a proposal for a field study in Georgia. The objectives were two-fold:

  • to discover whether Cyclamen colchicum could still be found at
    the historical sites mentioned on herbarium sheets and to
    attempt to find new locations;

  • to establish whether there were two taxa present (C. colchicum 
    and C. purpurascens) as both Alboff and Schwartz believed
    (Denney 2012) or whether all the late summer flowering
    cyclamen in the region were C. colchicum.

Although no live plants were collected during this field study. 9 sites
were surveyed, with leaf samples collected from 49 plants, for herbarium 
specimens and material for laboratory analysis.

A report of the 2013 field study ‘In search of the Colchic cyclamen’ was
published in the Cyclamen Society Journal Vol. 37 No. 2, December 2013.

A report of the more detailed findings of the field study, including a conservation assessment, was submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Georgia and the Millenium Seedbank Partnership. A copy can be viewed and downloaded here.

CSE Plants and Sites Georgia, 2013.

Plant and Site images may be viewed by clicking on the purple numbers.

CSE Plant No.Site No.SpeciesDescription
1300113/01C. colchicumLeaf reverse, white with pink haze.
1300213/01C. colchicumLeaf reverse, very pale green almost white.
1300313/01C. colchicumProminent veins on leaf surface, pink flush on reverse.
1300413/01C. colchicumLeaf reverse, very pale grey-green almost white.
1300513/02C. colchicumLeaf reverse, pale whitish green.
1300613/02C. colchicumLeaf with pale green hastate pattern.
1300713/02C. colchicumLeaf reverse, pale whitish grey-green.
1300813/02C. colchicumLeaf reverse, pale green slight pink flush.
1300913/02C. colchicum
1301013/02C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1301113/02C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis. Leaf with broad pale green hastate pattern.
1301213/03C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1301313/03C. colchicum
1301413/03C. colchicum
1301513/03C. colchicum
1301613/03C. colchicumFlower darker at nose
1301713/04C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis. Leaf reverse, pale green with slight pink flush.
1301813/04C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis. Leaf reverse, pale green with slight pink flush.
1301913/04C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1302013/04C. colchicum
1302113/04C. colchicum
1302213/04C. colchicum
1302313/04C. colchicum
1302413/04C. colchicum
1302513/04C. colchicum
1302613/04C. colchicum
1302713/04C. colchicum
1302813/04C. colchicum
1302913/04C. colchicum
1303013/06C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1303113/06C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1303213/06C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1303313/07C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1303413/07C. colchicum
1303513/08C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1303613/08C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1303713/08C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1303813/08C. colchicum
1303913/08C. colchicum
1304013/09C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis. Prominent veins on leaves.
1304113/09C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1304213/09C. colchicumSample collected for DNA analysis.
1304313/09C. colchicum
1304413/09C. colchicum
1304513/09C. colchicumDarkest flower.
1304613/09C. colchicum
1304713/09C. colchicum
1304813/09C. colchicum
1304913/09C. colchicum
Map of the Eastern Black Sea, showing Georgia with the study area shaded red. Map data ©2013 Basarsoft – Google

Acknowledgement. We thank The Millenium Seed Bank Partnership (RBG Kew) for the Mitsubishi 4×4 vehicle which was made available to the team. Clare Trevidi, International Co-ordinator, Millenium Seed Bank Partnership, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Wakehurst) acted as the catalyst that initialized this project. Tsira Mikatadze-Pantsulaia, Head of the Department of Plant Conservation, National Botanic Garden of Georgia sponsored the field study during the planning stages. All the other members of the field study team, including Sandro Kolbaia, the local guides – especially Roman Tolordava – and the various drivers of trucks and other vehicles.