DIVERSITY OF HERBACEOUS SPECIES IN THE RAJSHAHI METROPOLITAN AREA OF BANGLADESH

Objectives: The present research aimed to document the diversity of herbaceous species in the study area. The study also recorded the status of occurrence and species diversity. Materials and Methods: The work is based on fresh materials collected during eighty-five visits to Rajshahi metropolitan area, Bangladesh from July 2018 to June 2021 to cover the seasonal variations. Plant parts with either flowers or fruits were collected using traditional herbarium techniques to make voucher specimens for documentation. Results: A total of 281 species belonging to 68 families and 246 genera were recorded. 10 Pteridophyta and 58 Angiosperm families are including 13 Liliopsida and 45 Magnoliopsida. Family Asteraceae was the most dominant in all families followed by Acanthaceae, Amaranthaceae, Araceae, Brassicaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Polygonaceae, Poaceae and Solanaceae. 33 families were monophyletic and had one species and 1 genus each and 23 families are represented by 2 to 5 species each. Conclusion: Out of 281 species, the status of occurrence was recorded for proper conservation management and sustainable utilization of the taxa which show 210 to be common, 61 as rare, 10 are found as threatened species in the study area. The present study will help in identifying the herbaceous vascular taxa for further investigation.