Leafy Vegetables of Rajshahi District, Bangladesh

Taxonomic investigation on wild and cultivated leafy vegetables in Rajshahi district of Bangladesh was carried out from January 2017 to December 2017. A total of 108 species belonging to 56 genera under 29 families were recorded. Out of these wild and cultivated vegetables 17 species belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, 13 species from Amaranthaceae, 9 species from Brassicaceae, 8 species from Araceae, 7 species each from Convolvulaceae, Fabaceae and Solanaceae. 4 species from Polygonaceae. 3 species each from Chenopodiaceae, Molluginaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Malvaceae. 2 species each from Portulacaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Oxalidaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Marsileaceae and Liliaceae. One species each from Athyriaceae, Antigiopteridaceae, Rubiaceae, Meliaceae, Tiliaceae, Moringaceae, Basellaceae, Aizoaceae, Nyctaginaceae and Acanthaceae. A total of ninety four (94) medicinal leafy vegetables have been documented with their uses for the cure of more than 59 diseases. This finding suggests that the leafy vegetables may possibly contain other phytochemical constituents which need to be investigated in future studies.