FLORISTIC COMPOSITION AND SPECIES DIVERSITY OF H.S.T.U. CAMPUS, DINAJPUR

Abstract

A taxonomic survey work was carried out during March, 2009 to explore the richness of the plant resources of H.S.T.U. Campus, Dinajpur. The aims of the survey was to prepare an inventory of those incalculable possessions according to their 6 main utilities in a users’ friendly data access system, to have tips for sensible management of those assets and finally, to suggest means for their further perfection. The appraisal visibly pinpoints that there were in total, 5,134 plant specimens of 382 species, 270 genera and 84 families. The floras had an assorted assemblage of just 13 gymnosperms but 369 (84 monocots + 285 dicots) angiosperms species. A sum of 285 species of 200 genera from 66 families was dicots but only 84 species, 64 genera and 14 families were monocots. Again, the campus hosted 215, 76, 32, 31, 18 and 10 species of ornamental, fruit, timber and forest, plantation, medicinal, and spice species, respectively. In gymnosperms, thuja had the highest number (314) of plants; in dicots, mahogany was the dominating species (490) while in monocots, betel nut (283) was the leading one. In general, the topmost numbers of plants were: mahogany (490) followed by jackfruit (408), mango (355), thuja (314), weeping fir (300), betel nut (283), cocoanut (270), neem (251), bead tree (188) and litchi (167). However, some species were represented by only one sample, e.g. baobab, allspice, kapok, camphor, agor, taikor, African tulip, ritha etc. The Premise also accommodated some rare species- agor, allspice, anjan, African tulip, baobab, brownia, canon ball tree, camphor, kapok, ritha, thaikor, sour sop etc. Hence, plant luxuries regarding taxonomic aspects were quite amazing. Yet, anthropogenic plant formations were found as some species, e.g. mango, jackfruit, mahogany, neem, bead tree etc. were built-in almost each year in the plantation programs instead of wild as well as other diversified species. So, proposals were set for plantation programs for preservation of endemic, rare and threatened plant assets and to defend the genetic multiplicities.