Wigandia is a genus of flowering plants within the family Namaceae. They are found mainly in Central America and South America, though one or two species are found as far north as the United States. Some are grown as ornamental plants and will flourish in most Mediterranean or temperate regions. The genus is named for Johann Wigand (c. 1523–1587), German Lutheran cleric and theologian, and Bishop of Pomesania."CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants" - Umberto Quattrocchi
Formerly placed in the family Hydrophyllaceae, Wigandia species are unusual in having minute seeds and a high base chromosome number (19); it is also the only neotropical genus in the group.Constance, L. (1963). Chromosome number and classification in Hydrophyllaceae. Brittonia, 15, 273-285.
Some species originally classified in Wigandia are now treated in other genera, e.g. Eriodictyon. A 1998 molecular phylogenetic analysis included two Wigandia species (W. caracasana and W. urens, now considered synonymous), and confirmed that they lay within a clade that includes Eriodictyon, and also the genera Nama and Turricula (now synonymized with Eriodictyon).Ferguson, D. M. (1998). Phylogenetic analysis and relationships in Hydrophyllaceae based on ndhF sequence data. Systematic Botany, 23, 253-268. , World Flora Online placed Wigandia in the segregate family Namaceae.
Species Six species are currently accepted. Wigandia brevistyla Cornejo, X. (2007). Wigandia brevistyla: a new Hydrophyllaceae from the Dominican republic. Anales Del Jardin Botanico De Madrid, 64, 63-67. Wigandia crispa Wigandia ecuadorensis Cornejo, X. (2006). Wigandia ecuadorensis (Hydrophyllaceae), a new species of the tropical dry forests on the west coast of Ecuador. Novon, 16, 324-327. Wigandia pruritiva Wigandia urens (synonym Wigandia caracasana ) Wigandia wurdackiana
Formerly placed here Species formerly classified within Wigandia include: Eriodictyon californicum (formerly W. californica)
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