Taxonomy and Biology of Bignoniaceae in Dhaka City

The family Bignoniaceae has been studied for Dhaka city in Bangladesh. A total of 18 species under 17 genera have been recorded from different areas of Dhaka. The germplasm of most of the species have been collected and planted in the experimental plots of Dhaka University Botanical garden for further studies. A detail taxonomic description, valid scientific names, along with synonyms, English name, Bengali name, flowering and fruiting period, chromosome number, habitat, geographical distribution and economic uses have been provided under each species. A dichotomous bracketed key to the genera and species have also been provided. Mechanism of plant propagation of 16 selected species and pollination mechanism of 9 selected species has been investigated. There is no self pollination in 18 examined species. Only cross pollination present due to presence of heterostyly. The percentage of seed germination and viability revealed epigeal type. Seed surface morphology of 6 selected species showed a great variation in different seed characters. Anatomical investigation including trichromes, stomata and stem anatomy revealed variation.