Is my cyclamen sick, or just wierd?

My cyclamen developed light yellow spots around the perimeter of some of the leaves, and some of the leaves looked almost bruised underneath--there were several purplish areas. I never noticed any slimy substance, dark areas, bugs, cotton- or web-looking things. Some of the leaves started to curl a bit more, and a couple of the flowers also started to have areas that were wrinkled. The new ones are the same--some are affected, but most aren't.

So, thinking it might have cyclamen mites, I banished my cyclamen to the basement, where it gets no light, and I haven't watered it in two weeks. One of the new flowers is wrinkled, and the leaves still look the same (just more brown along the edges), but it's still big, strong, and flowering like crazy.

So.... do you think it's cyclamen mites, or am I seeing natural variations and thinking the worst? Here are some photos, first of a flower:

Kelly

Then a close up of a leaf:

And a shot of how the leaves have curled:

Systemic fertilizers with insecticide in them can do that if it builds up in the plant, too. I don't know other than that, but someone will come along who does, that's the beauty of this place!

Thanks for the response... problem is, I'd had the plant for about a month, maybe, and never fertilized it. Could that maybe be the problem? Because if it isn't cyclamen mites, I'd like to bring it back upstairs! Anyone else have any ideas?

Kelly

Hold it over a piece of white paper and flick the flowers hard a few times. Thrips can make flowers do that too. You will see tiny little moving things on the paper. It's an easy way to check for small bugs.

Make sure you're not overwatering your plant. These commonly die from rot that follows overwatering. Best to only water after the soil has become really dry.

I had a cyclamen that was just gorgeous and one day, (within about 2 hours) it simply layed down and died. It was very strange, and really made me angry with the plant store and with myself! (maybe it just needed to have intense climate therapy?LOL)
Anyway, i'm going to be watching this thread closely. I am new to african violets, enjoy a challenge, and cyclamen is one of the few plants that is a challenge for me here in South Florida! Everything else just seems to get invasive and become a pest...
VERY interested in creating micro climates, would love to know where these plants grow naturally...probably hawaii!

Hi

I did the white paper test, and in two parts of the plant, a couple of small reddish-black things fell onto the paper, but they weren't moving at all. From the flowers? Nothing. So.... do you think it's safe to say the plant is clear?

Kelly

For those looking for more information on Cyclamen, here's a good site I found: http://www.cyclamen.org

Thank you for this link! I learned alot, not least of which is not to purchase the plant for my area, for the a/c bills would be astronomical! :)
Definitly not a good plant for this zone (10B) . I'll just have to stick to admiring them at the nursery...
Thanks again.