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Cyclamen: toxicity, first aid and care
Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum): toxic for cats, toxic for dogs, toxic for small children. The toxic principle, the signs, what to do, and how to grow it.
Cats: ToxicDogs: ToxicChildren: Toxic
Also sold as: Florist's cyclamen, Persian violet, alpenviol.
This is a reference table, not a diagnosis and not veterinary or medical advice. It cannot tell you how much of a plant matters for a particular child or a particular animal — that depends on body weight, on the part eaten and on how long ago. If a person or an animal has eaten part of a plant, phone the poison information centre or a clinician; do not wait for symptoms, and do not make anyone vomit unless you are told to.
What is in it
Toxic principle: Terpenoid saponins (cyclamin), concentrated in the tuber — Saponins.
The leaves and flowers carry enough saponin to upset a stomach; the tuber, the flat corm sitting half-buried at the centre of the pot, carries many times more. Dogs are the animals that dig, so dogs supply most of the serious cases.
What it looks like when it goes wrong
Drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea from leaves or flowers. From a real quantity of tuber, severe vomiting, heart-rhythm disturbance and seizures have been described.
What to do
Leaf-nibbling usually needs no more than a phone call for advice. A dog that has excavated and eaten the tuber should be seen by a vet promptly. Take the pot with you.
| Country | Poison information centre | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estonia | Mürgistusteabekeskus (Health Board) | 16662 | Round the clock; 112 for an emergency |
| Finland | Myrkytystietokeskus (HUS) | 0800 147 111 | Free, round the clock |
| Latvia | Saindēšanās un zāļu informācijas centrs | 67042473 | Round the clock |
| Sweden | Giftinformationscentralen | 010-456 67 00 | Non-urgent advice; 112 in an emergency |
| Norway | Giftinformasjonen | 22 59 13 00 | Round the clock |
| Denmark | Giftlinjen (Bispebjerg Hospital) | 82 12 12 12 | Round the clock |
Anywhere in the European Union, 112 reaches emergency services and can put you through. Lithuania's poison information bureau (Apsinuodijimų kontrolės ir informacijos biuras) publishes its own round-the-clock line; if you do not have it to hand, use 112. For an animal, your own veterinary clinic or its out-of-hours service is the first call — human poison centres do not advise on animals in every country.
How to grow it
| Condition | What it wants |
|---|---|
| Light | Bright, cool, indirect light |
| Water | From below, into the saucer, never into the crown |
| Temperature | Cool: 10-16 °C. Warmth is what kills it |
The classic dying-cyclamen story is a plant bought in December for a warm living room; it wants a cold bright windowsill, a chilly porch or an unheated bedroom, and it collapses at 22 °C. Water into the saucer and tip away what is not taken up in half an hour, because water sitting in the crown rots the tuber. When it yellows in spring it is going dormant, not dying — dry it off, rest it, restart it in late summer.
What it gets confused with
It is a winter gift plant, so it arrives in the house at the same time as poinsettia, amaryllis and pot azalea, and of those four this one and the amaryllis are the ones with a tuber or bulb worth a dog's attention.
A plant that is not on the toxic lists
If you are deciding what to keep in a home with a cat, a dog or a small child, this one fills a similar role and is not flagged by the veterinary services.
Others that work the same way
Saponins — these behave alike, and what you would do about them is alike too.
Aloe vera
Anthraquinone glycosides (aloin) and saponins in the latex
Dracaena
Saponins
English ivy
Triterpenoid saponins (hederagenin glycosides); falcarinol on skin
Snake plant
Saponins
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxic and non-toxic plants · checked 2026-09-06
Care guidance is standard horticultural practice for a cool-temperate northern climate. Poison-centre numbers are listed on the hub page and are worth confirming against your own country's health service.
Frequently asked questions
Is cyclamen toxic to cats?
The veterinary lists rate it "toxic" for cats and "toxic" for dogs. The toxic principle is terpenoid saponins (cyclamin), concentrated in the tuber. The leaves and flowers carry enough saponin to upset a stomach; the tuber, the flat corm sitting half-buried at the centre of the pot, carries many times more. Dogs are the animals that dig, so dogs supply most of the serious cases.
What should I do if my dog eats cyclamen?
Leaf-nibbling usually needs no more than a phone call for advice. A dog that has excavated and eaten the tuber should be seen by a vet promptly.
Is cyclamen dangerous for a small child?
The verdict for a child who chews or swallows part of it is "toxic". Drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea from leaves or flowers. From a real quantity of tuber, severe vomiting, heart-rhythm disturbance and seizures have been described.
How do you care for cyclamen?
Light: Bright, cool, indirect light. Water: From below, into the saucer, never into the crown. Temperature: Cool: 10-16 °C. Warmth is what kills it. The classic dying-cyclamen story is a plant bought in December for a warm living room; it wants a cold bright windowsill, a chilly porch or an unheated bedroom, and it collapses at 22 °C. Water into the saucer and tip away what is not taken up in half an hour, because water sitting in the crown rots the tuber.
What is cyclamen confused with?
It is a winter gift plant, so it arrives in the house at the same time as poinsettia, amaryllis and pot azalea, and of those four this one and the amaryllis are the ones with a tuber or bulb worth a dog's attention.
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