The Botanical Society of Scotland (BSS) is the national learned society for botanists of Scotland. The Society's aims are to advance knowledge and appreciation of flowering and cryptogamic plants, algae and fungi. The Society's activities[1] include lectures (mainly held in Edinburgh, but also in other Scottish cities), symposia, field excursions, field projects and an annual Scottish Botanist's Conference, held jointly with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland for exchange of information between botanists working in different areas. Its publications include a twice-yearly newsletter, BSS News, and a scientific journal, Plant Ecology & Diversity. The society is closely linked to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Scottish universities.[2]

History

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It was founded on 8 February 1836 as the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. Its founding members included Prof Edward Forbes, Prof John Hutton Balfour and Dr Richard Parnell.[3]

In 1935 the Botanical Society of Edinburgh incorporated the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland, founded in 1875, and included its name in its title.[4] Its name changed again in 1991 to Botanical Society of Scotland, incorporating the Cryptogamic Society of Scotland. The Botanical Society of Scotland has been a charity registered in Scotland since 19 February 1918, and became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) (No. SC016283) on 15 April 2014.

Activities

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BSS is the only British botanical society with a keen interest in both flowering and non-flowering plants (e.g. ferns, mosses and algae) and fungi. This wide range of interest is reflected in its programme of monthly lectures during winter months, held mainly at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Field meetings are held during summer and autumn to record both flowering and non-flowering plants all over Scotland. BSS also runs courses in special topics such as grass identification. An annual meeting, the Scottish Botanist's Conference is held each autumn, run jointly by BSBI, BSS and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Symposia and conferences devoted to specific topics such as Plant Phenology are organised from time to time.

Publications

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The Botanical Society of Edinburgh published its first journal, Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, from 1844 to 1990. In 1991, this was replaced with Botanical Journal of Scotland, published by Edinburgh University Press, to reflect the change of the society's name to "Botanical Society of Scotland" in the same year. In 2008, to give the journal an international appeal, Botanical Journal of Scotland was in turn replaced by Plant Ecology and Diversity, published by Taylor & Francis.[5] Plant Ecology and Diversity was accepted for inclusion in Scopus in 2010 and it received its first impact factor, 2.053, in 2011.

Presidents

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Source (1836-1937):[6]

Botanical Society of Edinburgh
Botanical Society of Scotland (1990-)
  • 1990-1992 : Dr James H. Dickson
  • 1992-1994 : Miss J. Muscott
  • 1994-1996 : Dr Kwiton Jong
  • 1996–1998 : Prof. John Proctor [36]
  • 1998-2000 : Prof. Elizabeth Cutter
  • 2000-2002 : Dr George Argent
  • 2002-2004 : Mr Philip Lusby
  • 2004-2006 : Dr Douglas Malcolm
  • 2006-2008 : Prof. Richard Abbott
  • 2008-2010 : Dr Christopher Jeffree
  • 2010-2012 : Dr Barbara Sumner
  • 2012-2017 : Prof. John Grace [37]
  • 2017-2019 : Dr Brian Ballinger [38]
  • 2019-2021 : Dr Julia Wilson
  • 2021–2023: Dr Jill Thompson
  • 2023-present: Prof. Jonathan Silvertown

Other notable members

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Activities". Botanical Society of Scotland. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  2. ^ "About the BSS". Botanical Society of Scotland. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  3. ^ "Richard Parnell, M.D". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 16 (1–4): 6–8. 2010. doi:10.1080/03746608609468215.
  4. ^ Watling, R. (1986). "150 Years of paddock stools: A history of agaric ecology and floristics in Scotland". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 45: 1–42. doi:10.1080/03746608608685403.
  5. ^ "Plant Ecology & Diversity". Taylor & Francis Website. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  6. ^ The Botanical Society of Edinburgh 1836-1936 (PDF). p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh" (PDF). RSE. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  8. ^ Matthews, J. R (1941). "Presidential Address—Floral Morphology and its Bearing on the Classification of Angiosperms". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 33 (2): 69–82. doi:10.1080/13594864109441373.
  9. ^ Gregor, J. W (1947). "Presidential Address: Some Reflections on Intra-Specific Ecological Variation and its Classification". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 34 (4): 377–391. doi:10.1080/13594864709441409.
  10. ^ Haines, Catherine. International Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary to 1950. p. 162.
  11. ^ "Proceedings of the Botanical of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 36 (2): vii–xiii. 1953. doi:10.1080/13594865309441595.
  12. ^ Cowan, J. M (1954). "The Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 36 (3): 181–184. doi:10.1080/13594865409441605. PMC 5586696. PMID 30161412.
  13. ^ Burns, W (2010). "Presidential Address". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 37: 1–10. doi:10.1080/13594865609441624.
  14. ^ "Proceedings of the Botanical of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 37: i–xiii. 2010. doi:10.1080/13594865609441623.
  15. ^ "Proceedings of the Botanical of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 36 (4): xx–xxv. 2010. doi:10.1080/13594865509441613.
  16. ^ "Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 37 (2): xiv–xxvi. 1957. doi:10.1080/13594865709441647. hdl:2027/hvd.32044106390966.
  17. ^ Fletcher, H. R (1960). "Presidential Address". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 39: 1–27. doi:10.1080/13594866009441681.
  18. ^ MacLeod, Anna M (1962). "Presidential Address". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 39 (3): 247–265. doi:10.1080/13594866209441709.
  19. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 39 (5): xli–xlix. 1964. doi:10.1080/13594866409441733.
  20. ^ "Special dinner Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 40: 146. 1965. doi:10.1080/03746606508685135.
  21. ^ "Proceedings of the botanical society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 40 (4): xxix–xxxix. 1968. doi:10.1080/03746606808685176. hdl:2027/hvd.32044106390966.
  22. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 41: 105–108. 1970. doi:10.1080/03746607008685210.
  23. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 41 (4): 571–575. 1972. doi:10.1080/03746607208685257.
  24. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 42 (2): 251–254. 1974. doi:10.1080/03746607408685287.
  25. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 42 (4): 545–548. 1976. doi:10.1080/03746607608685317.
  26. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 43: 71–73. 1978. doi:10.1080/03746607808685340.
  27. ^ "Proceedings of the botanical society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 43 (2): 163–165. 1979. doi:10.1080/03746607908685350. hdl:2027/hvd.32044106390966.
  28. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh Session CXLIII 1979–80". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 43 (3): 251–253. 2010. doi:10.1080/03746608008685361.
  29. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 43 (4): 345–346. 1981. doi:10.1080/03746608108685373.
  30. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh Session CXLVI 1981–82". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 44: 75–77. 2010. doi:10.1080/03746608208685417.
  31. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh Session CXLVI 1882–83". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 44 (2): 165–167. 2010. doi:10.1080/03746608308685383.
  32. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 44 (3): 287–289. 1984. doi:10.1080/03746608408685395.
  33. ^ "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 45 (2): 163–165. 1987. doi:10.1080/03746608708685428.
  34. ^ "Proceedings of the botanical society of edinburgh session CXLXI 1987–88". Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 45 (3): 299–301. 1988. doi:10.1080/03746608808684967.
  35. ^ "Obituaries-Philip Morgans Smith (1941-2004)" (PDF). BSBI. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  36. ^ "Professor John Proctor". The Independent. 6 November 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  37. ^ "News Archive". Wildlife Information Centre. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  38. ^ "BSS Council 2018/19". Botanical Society of Scotland. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
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