Cyclamen Meaning: Diffidence in Victorian Books, Resignation Today, and Japan’s Hospital Taboo
Cyclamen means diffidence in Victorian dictionaries and resignation in modern lists. Colour meanings, Japan’s hospital-gift taboo and Israel’s flower poll.
In short
- Cyclamen means diffidence in two Victorian flower dictionaries and resignation or goodbye in modern lists.
- Japanese etiquette guides advise against cyclamen as a hospital gift because its name recalls death and suffering.
- A 2007 reader poll chose cyclamen for Israel’s exhibit at the Beijing Olympics; a 2013 vote chose the anemone as national flower.
- Checked against: Greenaway, Tyas, Takashimaya, Nagano Prefecture, Ynet, RHS.
Cyclamen means diffidence in the two Victorian flower dictionaries checked for this page, and resignation or goodbye in the modern lists that now dominate search results. Sources give those meanings for the genus, which includes Cyclamen persicum, the florist’s cyclamen sold as a potted gift, and the hardy Cyclamen hederifolium grown in gardens. Japan adds documented gift-manners advice: etiquette guides advise against bringing cyclamen to a hospital patient. Israel adds a ballot-box story that some web pages get wrong.
This page sorts each meaning by what stands behind it: a printed Victorian text, a government or university page, or a florist guide repeating other florist guides. It is one entry in our flower symbolism guide, which maps flower meanings across cultures.
What does cyclamen mean?
Cyclamen means diffidence in Kate Greenaway’s The Language of Flowers (Routledge, 1884) and in Robert Tyas’s The Sentiment of Flowers (Houlston and Wright, 1869). Each book lists the plant once, as “Cyclamen: Diffidence”. Neither gives a colour or a second meaning. In Tyas the entry sits in the alphabetical list of flowers and sentiments near the end of the book.
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Modern English-language lists say something different. Iowa State University Extension gives “Resignation and good-bye”. The Old Farmer’s Almanac gives “Resignation, Diffidence, Goodbye” and says its chart reflects mainly Victorian flower language. The Almanac names Iowa State University and Smithsonian Gardens as its two sources. Iowa State’s page says “there are multiple sources with this information, and sometimes flowers can have multiple meanings”, and it does not tie the cyclamen entry to a particular book.
The layers differ by two words. Diffidence appears in both Victorian books and in the Almanac’s chart, but not in Iowa State’s. Resignation and goodbye appear only in the modern charts, and neither of the two Victorian books read for this page carries them. The Almanac notes that Victorian “definitions shifted depending on the source”, so a third book could differ. The claim here is limited to the two texts read.
What does the name cyclamen mean?
The name cyclamen is traced to the Greek word kyklos, “circle”, but sources give three different reasons. Clemson Extension points to the plant’s circular growth habit. NC State Extension points to the shape of the tuber. The Japanese magazine BE-PAL points to the flower stalk, which coils into a spiral after the fruit sets.
The common name sowbread appears in the ASPCA plant database. BE-PAL says Europeans called the plant “sow’s bread”, which is why the Japanese name is 豚の饅頭 (buta no manju, “pig’s bun”).
A Nagano Prefecture agricultural page lists another Japanese name, 篝火花 (kagaribibana, “bonfire flower”), because the flower looks like a bonfire. BE-PAL says the botanist Makino Tomitaro gave the plant the name kagaribibana, that nobody uses it today, and that cyclamen reached Japan in the late Meiji era.
Cyclamen meaning by culture
Only the Victorian row of the table below rests on a printed dictionary. The Japanese rows rest on a prefectural page and a department-store etiquette guide, the Israeli row on news reports, and the Mediterranean row on a university extension note. The Christian row rests on garden websites.
| Tradition | Meaning or custom | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Victorian England | Diffidence | Greenaway (1884) and Tyas (1869), printed dictionaries |
| Modern English-language lists | Resignation and goodbye; the Almanac also lists diffidence | Iowa State Extension; Old Farmer’s Almanac |
| Japan, flower language | Reserve, purity, shyness, timidity, bashfulness | Nagano Prefecture agricultural page |
| Japan, hospital visits | Advised against; the plant recalls death (死) and suffering (苦) | Takashimaya etiquette guide |
| Israel | Won a 2007 reader poll for an exhibit; the 2013 national-flower vote chose the anemone | Ynet/Reuters, Jerusalem Post |
| Christian tradition | Linked to the Virgin Mary: a bowed head, and white petals lined with red read as a bleeding heart | Garden and symbolism websites; no church or scholarly source found |
| Mediterranean cultures | Empathy and devotion; planted in Islamic monasteries and churchyards | Clemson Extension |
Read together, the rows fall into two groups. Most of the Japanese flower-language words (reserve, shyness, timidity, bashfulness) describe a reserved manner, like the Victorian diffidence; purity is the exception. The modern English lists and the Japanese hospital advice point to parting or illness: resignation, goodbye, death and suffering. The sources read do not agree on one meaning.
Cyclamen in Japan: the hospital-gift taboo
Japanese etiquette guides advise against bringing cyclamen to a patient. The gift-manners guide of the department store Takashimaya says that sickbed visits often follow luck superstitions. It lists flowers that are better avoided: camellias, whose flower heads fall; cyclamen, which recalls 「死」 (death) and 「苦」 (suffering); potted plants; white flowers, which recall loneliness; and deep red flowers, which recall blood.
The Japanese name シクラメン is read shikuramen, and an English-language gift-taboo guide explains that the sounds shi and ku are associated with suffering and death. The same guide adds that the word for a potted or rooted plant, nezuku, sounds like netsuku, to nod off or fall asleep, which is thought to make one imagine slowly drifting off into death.
Takashimaya lists potted plants as a separate warning. NC State calls cyclamen a popular potted plant, so the guide’s two cautions overlap for this flower. That overlap is an observation from the two sources together, not a claim either one makes.
Takashimaya adds a practical point: recently, fresh flowers cannot always be brought into hospitals because of infection prevention.
What the taboo does not mean
The rule is advice for visiting the sick, and Takashimaya words it as something better to avoid. It is not a general rule against the plant. FloralDaily reported in December 2017 that cyclamen “has been a popular end of the year gift for many years in Japan”. The article credits the economic growth that followed the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and a hit song titled Scent of Cyclamen for the rise in demand. It quotes the grower Oshio on the fall: “Those people who traditionally gave a cyclamen at work are now getting old and are retiring.” The article does not mention the hospital taboo.
The Nagano Prefecture agricultural page promotes cyclamen as a regional product and calls the Kamiina area one of the leading producing areas in the prefecture. The same page lists the Japanese flower language of cyclamen as 遠慮 (reserve), 清純 (purity), 内気 (shyness), 気おくれ (timidity) and はにかみ (bashfulness). Shyness and timidity overlap in sense with the Victorian “diffidence”. None of the five words means death or goodbye.
Is cyclamen the national flower of Israel?
The 2013 national-flower vote in Israel chose the anemone, not the cyclamen. The Jerusalem Post reported on 25 November 2013 that, after an online election campaign held by the Society for the Protection of Nature, the calanit (anemone) was chosen as Israel’s national flower.
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→ View My Garden CalendarThe cyclamen claim has an older source. A Reuters report on the news site Ynet, published on 1 October 2007, describes a reader vote to choose the flower that would represent Israel in a display called “We are one world”, held alongside the Beijing Olympics. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority had received the request to select a flower and a tree, and voting began during the New Year holiday. The anemone led until a report in the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on the final Sunday, when participation grew sharply to some 43,000 voters and the cyclamen closed the gap. The report ends on a practical problem: the plant flowers in winter and the Games were in August. Experts quoted in it said the bulbs can be “cheated” by chilling them so that they bloom later.
30% to 28% was the final split between cyclamen and anemone in the 2007 Ynet reader vote, according to Reuters: “some 30% preferred the cyclamen” and the anemone “received 28%”.
Source: Ynet/Reuters, “Cyclamen flower to represent Israel in China Olympics”, 1 October 2007
The poll was a pick for an exhibit, and the report does not call the result a national flower. Some web pages merge the two events. One blog post says the cyclamen “was chosen as the national flower of the State of Israel” in September 2007, a date that also differs from the Ynet report. The plant itself is native to the region: NC State lists Israel among the native countries of Cyclamen persicum.
Cyclamen and the Virgin Mary: a tradition, not a doctrine
Garden and symbolism websites link the cyclamen to the Virgin Mary. The garden site Nature & Garden says the flower “seems to bow its head in reverence”, like Mary accepting motherhood, and that the white petals lined with red are likened to her heart bleeding with sorrow at her son’s death. The same page says incense made from the flowers was burned in churches dedicated to Mary. It also says that in the 16th century sultans burned incense prepared in part from cyclamen flowers, together with sandalwood and aloe, inside Topkapi Palace.
The site Symbol Sage adds that a dark reddish colour under the white petals is believed to represent the blood of Jesus, and that white cyclamen is sometimes called “bleeding heart”. Nature & Garden calls the bleeding heart a different flower. No church document or scholarly source turned up for any of these readings. They are best read as tradition repeated by popular sites.
A university source describes a wider Mediterranean tradition. Clemson Extension says that in Mediterranean cultures cyclamens are symbols of empathy and devotion and are traditionally planted in Islamic monasteries and churchyards.
Cyclamen colour meanings
Florist guides give a meaning for each cyclamen colour, and the Victorian dictionaries read for this page give none. The two guides in the table below agree closely on the core meaning of each colour, with near-identical wording for purple, while Symbol Sage adds seduction for red and chastity for white. That similarity may mean a shared origin, which is an inference and not something either page states.
| Colour | Meaning in florist guides | Victorian dictionaries read |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Passion, love and desire (Flying Flowers); Symbol Sage adds seduction | No colour entry |
| Pink | A playful kind of love, and femininity (both guides) | No colour entry |
| White | Purity and innocence, also perfection and elegance; Symbol Sage adds the chastity of the Virgin Mary | No colour entry |
| Purple or magenta | Grace, charm, mystery, imagination and creativity; both guides also link purple to life transitions | No colour entry |
The Japanese flower-language list on the Nagano page is not split by colour.
Cyclamen persicum and hardy Cyclamen hederifolium
The meanings above are given for cyclamen as a whole, and no source read attaches a different meaning to the hardy species. NC State lists countries including Algeria, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey as native to Cyclamen persicum, and Italy as a country where it is introduced. The two plants differ in the garden. Cyclamen persicum is the potted florist’s cyclamen, and Cyclamen hederifolium is a hardy garden species.
| Feature | Cyclamen persicum (florist’s) | Cyclamen hederifolium (hardy) |
|---|---|---|
| Hardiness | Winter hardy in USDA zones 9-11; frost tender (NC State) | RHS rating H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters, -15 to -10°C |
| Flowering | Early winter to spring, dormant in summer (NC State) | Large pink flowers in early autumn, before the leaves (RHS) |
| Typical use | Potted plant, popular around Valentine’s Day and Christmas (NC State) | Self-seeding ground cover (RHS) |
| Safety | Tuber poisonous (NC State) | Ornamental bulbs, not to be eaten (RHS plant page) |
The plant sold as a potted gift is Cyclamen persicum, according to Clemson and NC State. The RHS growing guide describes hardy cyclamen in general as fully to frost hardy; H5 is the rating for Cyclamen hederifolium.
Giving cyclamen: what the meaning does not tell you
The meaning is only one input to a gift decision. Three facts from the sources above matter as much.
- Pets. The ASPCA lists cyclamen as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, names terpenoid saponins as the toxic principle, and lists salivation, vomiting and diarrhea as signs. After large tuber ingestions the signs can progress to heart rhythm abnormalities, seizures and death.
- Hospitals. Takashimaya notes that some hospitals do not accept fresh flowers, so the superstition may be moot.
- Occasion. Clemson Extension calls florist cyclamens a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift, and NC State says it is a popular potted plant especially around Valentine’s Day and Christmas.
Cyclamen is not one of the two December birth flowers on our December birth flower page (narcissus and holly), but it sits among the winter plants in our holiday plants care guide, which covers six holiday plants including cyclamen.
From meaning to care
The plant behind these meanings is a Mediterranean winter-grower. NC State says Cyclamen persicum is native to the Mediterranean region, including Israel and Greece, blooms from early winter to spring and goes dormant in summer. Our cyclamen care guide covers keeping a florist’s cyclamen blooming year after year.
Frequently asked questions
What does cyclamen symbolize?
Cyclamen symbolizes diffidence in the Victorian dictionaries of Greenaway (1884) and Tyas (1869), and resignation and goodbye in modern lists such as Iowa State Extension’s. In Japan the flower language is reserve, purity, shyness, timidity and bashfulness, according to Nagano Prefecture.
Why do Japanese etiquette guides advise against cyclamen for hospital patients?
Japanese etiquette guides, including Takashimaya’s, advise against it because the plant recalls the words for death (死) and suffering (苦). A potted plant is also on the same guide’s list of items to avoid. It is advice for visiting the sick, not a rule against the plant in general.
Is cyclamen the national flower of Israel?
No. The Society for the Protection of Nature’s online election of 2013 chose the anemone as Israel’s national flower. Cyclamen won a 2007 Ynet reader poll, by about 30% to 28%, to represent Israel at an exhibit alongside the Beijing Olympics.
What do red, white, pink and purple cyclamen mean?
Florist guides give red as passion and love, pink as playful love, white as purity and innocence, and purple as grace and imagination. No Victorian dictionary read for this page assigns a meaning by colour.
What is the difference between florist’s cyclamen and hardy cyclamen?
Cyclamen persicum is the potted florist’s cyclamen, frost tender and winter hardy only in USDA zones 9-11. Cyclamen hederifolium is a hardy garden species rated H5 by the RHS. The sources give their cyclamen meanings for the genus, with no separate meaning for the hardy species.
Where does cyclamen come from?
The florist’s cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum, is native from Algeria to the eastern Mediterranean, according to NC State, which lists Israel, Greece, Turkey and Lebanon among its native countries. The Japanese magazine BE-PAL says it reached Japan in the late Meiji era.
Is cyclamen poisonous to pets?
Yes. The ASPCA lists cyclamen as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. After large tuber ingestions the signs can progress to heart rhythm abnormalities and seizures.
Sources
- Greenaway, Kate. The Language of Flowers. London: Routledge, 1884. Project Gutenberg ebook 31591.
- Tyas, Robert. The Sentiment of Flowers; or, Language of Flora. London: Houlston and Wright, 1869. Internet Archive scan.
- Wikipedia. Kate Greenaway: books illustrated, publication year of Language of Flowers
- Iowa State University Extension. Flowers and Their Meanings: The Language of Flowers (reviewed January 2023).
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Flower Meanings and the Language of Flowers.
- Takashimaya. お見舞い ご贈答マナー (sickbed-visit gift etiquette).
- Tokyo Girls Update. Gift taboos in Japan (12 June 2017).
- Nagano Prefecture, Kamiina Agricultural Support Center. 花の品目紹介 シクラメン (updated 15 December 2025).
- FloralDaily. Japan: Cyclamen losing popularity as year-end gift (18 December 2017).
- BE-PAL. 可憐なシクラメン……和名は「豚の饅頭」だった！(14 December 2023).
- Ynet/Reuters. Cyclamen flower to represent Israel in China Olympics (1 October 2007).
- Udasin, Sharon. “Calanit” (the anemone) crowned as Israel’s national flower. The Jerusalem Post, 25 November 2013.
- Jacob, Abraham Isaac. National Symbols of Israel: National Flower. Blog post, 14 May 2019.
- Nature & Garden. Cyclamen, a symbol connected to the Virgin Mary (18 February 2019).
- Symbol Sage. Cyclamen Flower Meaning and Symbolism.
- Flying Flowers. Cyclamen plant guide.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home and Garden Information Center. Cyclamens Are a Great Valentine’s Day Gift (9 February 2021).
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Cyclamen persicum.
- Royal Horticultural Society. Cyclamen: hardy (growing guide).
- Royal Horticultural Society. Cyclamen hederifolium (plant details).
- ASPCA. Cyclamen: toxic and non-toxic plants.
