Botanical Society of America

Last updated
Botanical Society of America
AbbreviationBSA
Formation1893
Type Non-profit
NGO
Purpose"Promote botany, the field of basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere." [1]
Headquarters St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Membership
3,059 [2]
Andrea Wolfe (2017–2020)
President Elect
Linda Watson (2018–2021)
Budget
$1.63 million [3]
Website www.botany.org

The Botanical Society of America (BSA) represents professional and amateur botanists, researchers, educators and students in over 80 countries of the world. It functions as a United States nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership society. [4]

Contents

History

The society was first established in 1893 as an outgrowth from the Botanical Club of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at a meeting in Rochester, New York, on August 22, 1892. [5] The organizing principles of the society were the enhancement of the study of plants in North America and to professionalize such efforts. [6] In 1906, the organization merged with the Society for Plant Morphology and Physiology and the American Mycological Society. [7]

Sections

The society has 16 special interest sections:

Former presidents

Former presidents of the society have included:

Publications

The society publishes the following scientific journals:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botany</span> Study of plant life

Botany, also called plant science, plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek word botanē (βοτάνη) meaning "pasture", "herbs" "grass", or "fodder"; Botanē is in turn derived from boskein, "to feed" or "to graze". Traditionally, botany has also included the study of fungi and algae by mycologists and phycologists respectively, with the study of these three groups of organisms remaining within the sphere of interest of the International Botanical Congress. Nowadays, botanists study approximately 410,000 species of land plants, including some 391,000 species of vascular plants and approximately 20,000 bryophytes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustin Pyramus de Candolle</span> Swiss botanist (1778–1841)

Augustin Pyramusde Candolle was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle had established a new genus, and he went on to document hundreds of plant families and create a new natural plant classification system. Although de Candolle's main focus was botany, he also contributed to related fields such as phytogeography, agronomy, paleontology, medical botany, and economic botany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Joseph Berkeley</span> British botanist (1803–1889)

Miles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology. The standard author abbreviation Berk. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Esau</span> German-American botanist Ukraine born(1898–1997)

Katherine Esau was a pioneering German-American botanist who studied plant anatomy and the effects of viruses. Her books Plant Anatomy and Anatomy of Seed Plants are key texts. In 1989, Esau received the National Medal of Science "In recognition of her distinguished service to the American community of plant biologists, and for the excellence of her pioneering research, both basic and applied, on plant structure and development, which has spanned more than six decades; for her superlative performance as an educator, in the classroom and through her books; for the encouragement and inspiration she has given to a legion of young, aspiring plant biologists; and for providing a special role model for women in science." When Katherine Esau died in year 1997. Peter Raven 'Director of Anatomy and Morphology' of 'Missouri Botanical Garden' remembered that she absolutely dominated the field of plant Biology even at the age of 99.

Edgar Shannon Anderson was an American botanist. He introduced the term introgressive hybridization and his 1949 book of that title was an original and important contribution to botanical genetics. His work on the transfer and origin of adaptations through natural hybridization continues to be relevant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petter Adolf Karsten</span> Finnish mycologist

Petter Adolf Karsten was a Finnish mycologist, the foremost expert on the fungi of Finland in his day, and known in consequence as the "father of Finnish mycology".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant anatomy</span> Study of the internal structure of plants

Plant anatomy or phytotomy is the general term for the study of the internal structure of plants. Originally, it included plant morphology, the description of the physical form and external structure of plants, but since the mid-20th century, plant anatomy has been considered a separate field referring only to internal plant structure. Plant anatomy is now frequently investigated at the cellular level, and often involves the sectioning of tissues and microscopy.

William Trelease was an American botanist, entomologist, explorer, writer and educator. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Trel. when citing a botanical name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Francis Atkinson</span> American botanist and mycologist

George Francis Atkinson was an American botanist and mycologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David H. Linder</span> American mycologist (1899-1946)

David Hunt Linder (1899–1946) was an American mycologist known for his work on the Helicosporous fungi and his dedications for the advancement of mycological knowledge. He curated the Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany at Harvard University and founded a highly respected journal Farlowia.

Mildred Esther Mathias was an American botanist and professor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamela S. Soltis</span> American botanist

Pamela Soltis is an American botanist. She is a distinguished professor at the University of Florida, curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, principal investigator of the Laboratory of Molecular Systematics and Evolutionary Genetics at the Florida Museum of Natural History, and founding director of the University of Florida Biodiversity Institute.

The Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest comprehensive research institutions in China. It has led the development of plant science in China since its establishment in 1928. The institute has received three first-level National Natural Science Awards, as well as more than 160 awards at the national and provincial level. With a focus on integrative plant biology, IB-CAS conducts innovative research at the molecular, cellular, physiological, ecological and landscape levels, and develops applications to benefit agriculture and the environment. Its five key research areas are systematic and evolutionary botany, vegetation and environmental change, plant molecular physiology and development, photosynthesis, and the sustainable use of plant resources.

Peter Goldblatt is a South African botanist, working principally in the United States.

Jan Salick is an American botanist who researches the interaction between humans and plants (ethnobotany) and conservation biology. Her specialisms include alpine environments, climate change, indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge. She is a past-president of the Society for Economic Botany and holds their Distinguished Economic Botanist award. She is also Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and received the Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration. In 2019 she retired as Senior Curator of Ethnobotany at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and now has emerita status.

Shirley Cotter Tucker is an American botanist, lichenologist, and a former Boyd Professor of botany at Louisiana State University. The standard author abbreviation S.C.Tucker is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meredith Blackwell</span> American mycologist

Meredith May Blackwell is an American mycologist, known as one of the world's leading experts on fungi associated with arthropods.

John Cameron Semple is a botanist, cytotaxonomist, professor emeritus, and adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. He was born in Boston and earned a degree of Bachelor of Science in 1969 from Tufts University, followed in 1971 and 1972 by Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. Semple is known for his work with members of the tribe Astereae, particularly goldenrods, American asters, and goldenasters, and he maintains the University of Waterloo Astereae Lab website. Semple's wife is Brenda, and in 2013, he named a newly discovered goldenrod species Solidago brendiae in honor of her.

Warren Lambert Wagner is an American botanist, a curator of botany, and a leading expert on Onagraceae and plants of the Pacific Islands, especially plants of the Hawaiian Islands.

<i>A textbook of general botany</i>

A textbook of general botany is a botany book first published in 1924 by Gilbert M. Smith, James B. Overton, Edward M. Gilbert, Rollin H. Denniston, George S. Bryan and Charles E. Allen. The textbook gives a broad introduction to the various elements and concepts of general botany.

References

  1. "Botanical Society of America – About the BSA". Botany.org. Archived from the original on 2016-06-15. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
  2. http://www.botany.org/bsa/membership/council2012/a_summary.pdf [ bare URL PDF ][ dead link ]
  3. http://www.botany.org/bsa/membership/council2012/treasurer.pdf Archived 2017-07-08 at the Wayback Machine [ bare URL PDF ]
  4. "Home". www.botany.org. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  5. Tippo, Oswald (1958). "The Early History of the Botanical Society of America". Fifty Years of Botany. New York: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved 16 September 2012 from Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. Smocovitis, Vassiliki Betty (April 20, 2006), "One hundred years of American botany: a short history of the Botanical Society of America", American Journal of Botany, vol. 93, no. 7, pp. 942–952, doi:10.3732/ajb.93.7.942, archived from the original on February 11, 2016.
  7. "An Historical Overview of the BSA". Archived from the original on 4 February 2007.
  8. Rudolph, Emanuel D. (1982). "Women in Nineteenth Century American Botany; A Generally Unrecognized Constituency". American Journal of Botany. 69 (8): 1353. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1982.tb13382.x. JSTOR   2442761.