Fabaceae of Ghazipur District, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive enumeration of 42 species across 28 genera within the Fabaceae family, contributing to the Flora of Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh. It includes identification keys for genera, nomenclature, locality, and field numbers for each species collected from the Ghazipur district.

Introduction

The document describes a floristic study of Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh, located in the eastern Varanasi division. The district’s geography, boundaries, and total area are outlined, along with references to earlier botanical studies. However, it highlights that no comprehensive published work existed on the flora of Ghazipur before this study. During the investigation, 42 species belonging to 28 genera of the Fabaceae family were identified and documented with details such as nomenclature, ecology, phenology, and collection sites, with specimens preserved in the Duthie Herbarium.

The methodology explains a systematic field survey conducted across different seasons to collect plant specimens in flowering and fruiting stages. Plants were carefully collected, documented (including habitat, uses, and local names), preserved using standard herbarium techniques, and later identified and stored for study.

A detailed taxonomic key is provided for identifying Fabaceae genera based on plant characteristics such as habit, leaf arrangement, flower structure, and pod type.

The systematic enumeration section lists several plant species (e.g., Aeschynomene, Alysicarpus, Butea, Cajanus, Cicer, Clitoria) along with their scientific classification, flowering/fruiting periods, habitats, and distribution within the district.

References

[1] Duthie, J.F. (1903-1922). Flora of the Upper Gangetic Plains and of the adjacent Siwalik and Sub-Himalayan Tracts, 3 vols. Calcutta. [2] Kanjilal, P.C. (1966). Forest flora for the plains of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow. [3] Kanjilal, P.C. (1982). A Forest Flora of Pilibhit, Oudh, Gorakhpur and Bundelkhand. Allahabad. [4] Raizada, M.B. (1976). Supplement to Duthie’s Flora of Upper Gangetic Plain and of The Adjacent Siwalik and Sub-Himalayan Tracts Dehradun. [5] Hooker, J.D. (1872-1897). The Flora of British India. 7 vols. London. [6] Haines, H. H. 1921-1925. The Botany of Bihar and Orissa. 6 pts. London. [7] Singh, S.D., (1984). Flora of Ghazipur. Doctoral dissertation, University of Gorakhpur, Gorakhpur.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Pramod Kumar, Satya Narain, Madhu Sahgal. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.