Bongardia chrysogonum

Bongardia chrysogonum
(c) Shahrzad Fattahi, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Shahrzad Fattahi

At a glance

Lifecycle
Perennial (hardy)
Exposure
Full sun
Frost limit
−6.7 °C

Cultivation

Requires a well-drained sandy soil. Plants can be very long lived.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the greenhouse. Grow the plants on in the greenhouse for at least 3 years before planting them out. Division is sometimes suggested as a means of increase, but is not possible for this species.

Edible uses

Tuber - baked or boiled. The leaves are eaten raw or cooked in the same manner as sorrel.

Medicinal uses

A treatment for epilepsy.

Habitat

Steppes, amongst field crops on clayey and solonetzic slopes.

Native range

N. Africa to W. Asia - Syria to Iran.