Phone: (352) 392-1831 x 221
FAX: (352) 392-3870
E-Mail: bdehgan@mail.ifas.ufl.edu

Ph.D. Botany (Plant Taxonomy), U.C. Davis (1976)
B.S. Landscape Horticulture, U.C. Davis (1965)


Bijan Dehgan is a full professor with 50% teaching and 50% research appointment. He teaches plant identification and plant propagation and laboratory, as well as a graduate course in Morphology and Taxonomy of Horticultural Crops. His research involves taxonomic problems of horticultural plants, propagation and introduction of Florida native and other plants with emphasis on trees and shrubs.


Current Research Interests: Horticulture, by its very definition, is a commodity oriented field of study. Thus, as a matter of necessity, the emphasis is largely placed on physiological aspects of crop production, as opposed to the basic botanical considerations: taxonomy, morphology (including anatomical features), ecology, and geography. A complete understanding of any crop plant requires a knowledge of fundamental as well as practical aspects of that plant. The emphasis of my research has been, and will continue to be, on horticultural taxonomy and reproduction of plants considered endangered and difficult to propagate. Monographic studies of the neotropical species of Jatropha, taxonomic studies of the Cycadales, and morphological and taxonomic investigations of other horticultural plants, in concert with their horticultural aspects, including sexual and asexual propagation of endangered or threatened native taxa are of particular interest. Revegetation of disturbed sites, water conservation studies, and introduction of new taxa are among other research endeavors.

Selected Publications:

Dehgan, B and Webster, GL 1979. Morphology and infrageneric relationships of the genus Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae). Univ. Cal. Publ. Bot. Vol. 74. pp. 76 + 33 plates.

Dehgan, B 1980. Application of epidermal morphology to taxonomic delimitations in the genus Jatropha L. (Euphorbiaceae). Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 80: 257-278.

Dehgan, B 1982. Comparative anatomy of the petiole and infrageneric relationships in the genus Jatropha(Euphorbiaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 69: 1283-1295.

Dehgan, B and C.K.K. H. Yuen. 1983. Morphology of the seed inrelation to dispersal, evolution, and propagation in thegenus Cycas L. Bot. Gaz. 144: 412-418.

Dehgan, B. 1987. Comparative morphology of Fatsia japonica, Hedera helix, and their hybrid X Fatshedera lizei. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 112: 1053-1050.

Dehgan, B and Dehgan, NB 1988. Comparative pollen morphology and taxonomic affinities in Cycadales. Amer. J. Bot. 75: 1501-1516.

Dehgan, B, Sheehan, T and Sylvia, DM 1989. Propagation and Mycorrhizal Inoculation of Indigenous Florida Plants for Phosphate Mine Revegetation. Fla. Inst. Phos. Res. Publ. #03-053-076. pp. 1-284.

Dehgan, B and Schutzman, B 1989. Embryo development and germination of Cycas seeds. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 114: 125-129.

Dehgan, B and Almira, FC 1993. Horticultural practices and conservation of cycads. In: The Biology and Structure of Cycadales. Proc. Cycad 90, 2nd Internat. Conf. Cycad Biol.D.W. Stevenson and K.J. Norstog eds. pp. 322-328. Palm and Cycad Soc. Australia.

Dehgan, B and Schutzman, B 1994. Contributions toward a monograph of the Neotropical Jatropha: phenetic and phylogenetic analysis. Annals Miss. Bot. Gard. 81: in press.