SummaryThirty‐nine of the forty‐three species of Bignoniaceae treated by Vellozo are identified, nine of them for the first time. Four new combinations ‐ Arrabidaea elegans (Vell.) A. Gentry, Pleonotoma fluminensis (Vell.) A. Gentry, Cuspidaria convoluta (Vell.) A. Gentry, and Parabignonia unguiculata (Vell.) A. Gentry ‐ are proposed. A number of existing but rarely used combinations based on Vellozo names which must be adopted are also pointed out as are several commonly used but erroneous Vellozo‐based combinations.