Bocconia is a genus of flowering plants in the poppy family, Papaveraceae, placed in the order Ranunculales. The genus contains approximately 10 species, all of which are native to the New World tropics and subtropics — ranging from Mexico and Central America through the Caribbean and into South America, including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina.
Members of the genus are large, woody-stemmed plants that stand apart from the typically herbaceous, annual relatives in Papaveraceae. The most widespread and well-known species is Bocconia frutescens L., commonly called the tree poppy, a tall shrub or small tree that can reach several metres in height. Its broad, deeply lobed, glaucous leaves and plume-like panicles of small flowers give it a striking ornamental appearance, though it is regarded as invasive in parts of the world beyond its native range.
The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus to honour the Italian botanist Paolo Boccone (1633–1704). With around 10 accepted species — including B. arborea, B. integrifolia, and B. frutescens — the genus occupies disturbed habitats, forest edges, and montane slopes across its native range.
Etymology
The genus name Bocconia was coined by Carl Linnaeus to honor the Italian botanist Paolo Boccone (1633–1704), a Sicilian naturalist who contributed notably to the botanical knowledge of Mediterranean plants.
Distribution
Bocconia is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, with South American occurrences recorded in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina. Species tend to grow in montane and disturbed habitats across this neotropical range.
