Aquatic plants of Bangladesh Agricultural University botanical garden: Species diversity and potential uses

Bangladesh Agricultural University Botanical Garden is home to 70 aquatic plant species belonging to 48 genera and 34 families of which Nymphaeaceae has nine species followed by Alismataceae (six); Pontederiaceae and Salviniaceae (four). Convolvulaceae, Cyperaceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Lythraceae, Menyanthaceae, and Onagraceae each are represented by three species. The rest five genera were represented by two and nineteen genera by one species, only. Recorded species are grouped into different ecological habitat categories. Atotal of seven categories of existing uses were found in the garden. According to the IUCN categories, most of the species 47 (67.14%) are in the least concern category, while only four species were found in the threatened category (one near threatened, two conservation dependent, and one vulnerable) in the natural wetlands. Interestingly, seven rare species (10%) were found in the water garden of BAUBG. Five new aquatic species were documented namely Nymphoides peltata, Sagittaria latifolia, Sagittaria montevirdensis, Thalia dealbata, and Thalia geniculata. A good number of aquatic species including 7 rare and 5 new species is an indication of richness in the gene pool of aquatic plants at BAUBG.