''Bongardia'' is a very small genus of plants belonging to the family

Berberidaceae The Berberidaceae are a family of 18 genera of flowering plants commonly called the barberry family. This family is in the order Ranunculales. The family contains about 700 known species, of which the majority are in ''Berberis''. The species i ...

, and first described in 1831.Tropicos, ''Bongardia'' C.A. Mey.
/ref> There are only two known species, ''Bongardia chrysogonum C.A.Mey.'', native to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and ''B. margalla R.R.Stewart ex Qureshi & Chaudhri'', native to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The genus was

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

until 1996, when the Pakistani populations were recognised by Govaerts as belonging to a second, distinct species. The species are tuberous, herbaceous plants with a large rounded tuber and attractive pinnate leaves. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). These rare and striking plants are native to rocky, mountain slopes and cultivated fields where summers are dry and winters are spent under snow. The genus was named in honour of

Gustav Heinrich von Bongard August Gustav Heinrich von Bongard (12 September 1786 – 1839) was a German botanist who worked in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Born in Bonn, he was among the first botanists to describe the new plants then being discovered in Alaska (under Russian ...

(1786–1839), a German botanist, professor at St. Petersburg Imperial University. Leaves and root are edible.

Cultivation

The plants grow well in sandy well-drained soil in full sun. A porous soil and year-round protection from excessive moisture with a period of hot summer drought are required for them to thrive. They are propagated from seed.Lord, Tony (2003) ''Flora: the Gardener's Bible; more than 20,000 garden plants from around the world''. London: Cassell

References

Botanica Sistematica
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q2077467, from2=Q4093107 Garden plants Berberidaceae Monotypic Ranunculales genera Flora of Asia Berberidaceae genera