Botanical Society of Scotland

Last updated

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]

Contents

History

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

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

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

Source (1836-1937): [6]

Botanical Society of Edinburgh
Botanical Society of Scotland (1990-)

Other notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hutton Balfour</span> Scottish botanist

John Hutton Balfour was a Scottish botanist. Balfour became a Professor of Botany, first at the University of Glasgow in 1841, moving to the University of Edinburgh and also becoming the 7th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Her Majesty's Botanist in 1845. He held these posts until his retirement in 1879. He was nicknamed Woody Fibre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh</span> Botanical garden in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies four sites across Scotland—Edinburgh, Dawyck, Logan and Benmore—each with its own specialist collection. The RBGE's living collection consists of more than 13,302 plant species, whilst the herbarium contains in excess of 3 million preserved specimens.

His Majesty's Botanist is a member of the Royal household in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Bayley Balfour</span> Scottish botanist

Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour, KBE, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish botanist. He was Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow from 1879 to 1885, Sherardian Professor of Botany at the University of Oxford from 1884 to 1888, and Professor of Botany at the University of Edinburgh from 1888 to 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Murray (naturalist)</span> Scottish naturalist (1858–1911)

George Robert Milne Murray was a Scottish naturalist, botanist, diatomist and algologist, noted for his association with T. H. Huxley and with the Discovery Expedition. He was the naturalist aboard the solar eclipse expedition to the West Indies in 1886, and was a member of several scientific voyages for the collection of marine organisms, leading valuable work on the Atlantic coast of Ireland in 1898.

The Wernerian Natural History Society, commonly abbreviated as the Wernerian Society, was a learned society interested in the broad field of natural history, and saw papers presented on various topics such as mineralogy, plants, insects, and scholarly expeditions. The Society was an offshoot of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and from its beginnings it was a rather elite organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Cleghorn (forester)</span> Scottish forester (1820–1895)

Hugh Francis Clarke Cleghorn was a Madras-born Scottish physician, botanist, forester and land owner. Sometimes known as the father of scientific forestry in India, he was the first Conservator of Forests for the Madras Presidency, and twice acted as Inspector General of Forests for India. After a career spent in India Cleghorn returned to Scotland in 1868, where he was involved in the first ever International Forestry Exhibition, advised the India Office on the training of forest officers, and contributed to the establishment of lectureships in botany at the University of St Andrews and in forestry at the University of Edinburgh. The plant genus Cleghornia was named after him by Robert Wight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hope (botanist)</span> Scottish physician and botanist

Professor John Hope was a Scottish physician and botanist. He did enormous work on plant classification and plant physiology, and is now best known as an early supporter of Carl Linnaeus's system of classification. He did not publish much.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greyfriars Kirkyard</span> Graveyard in Edinburgh, Scotland

Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at Greyfriars. The Kirkyard is operated by City of Edinburgh Council in liaison with a charitable trust, which is linked to but separate from the church. The Kirkyard and its monuments are protected as a category A listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Anderson-Henry</span> Scottish lawyer and horticulturist

Isaac Anderson-Henry of Woodend FRSE was a Scottish lawyer and horticulturist.

Nicol Alexander Dalzell FRSE FLS was a Scottish botanist. He was one of the first persons to form the link between forest denudation and the impact of rainfall upon the wider countryside.

Andrew Peebles Aitken FRSE FBSE (1843-1904) was a Scottish agricultural chemist remembered primarily for his research into fertiliser response times. He laid the foundations of modern understanding of increased crop yields through the use of artificial fertilisers.

Robert Halliday Gunning FRSE PRPSE FSA LLD was a Scottish surgeon, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He did much to improve social conditions in Brazil and also became rich there. He endowed numerous prizes and awards including the Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prizes. The University of Edinburgh provides scholarships under the title of Gunning Victoria Jubilee Bursaries. He was a close friend of both Thomas Chalmers and Robert Christison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Jameson (botanist, born 1815)</span> Scottish physician and botanist

William Jameson CIE FRSE (1815-1882) was a Scottish physician and botanist linked to the massive spread of tea plantations in North India in the 19th century.

George A. Panton FRSE was a 19th-century British botanist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women</span>

The Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women was established by Elsie Inglis and her father John Inglis. Elsie Inglis went on to become a leader in the suffrage movement and found the Scottish Women's Hospital organisation in World War I, but when she jointly founded the college she was still a medical student. Her father, John Inglis, had been a senior civil servant in India, where he had championed the cause of education for women. On his return to Edinburgh he became a supporter of medical education for women and used his influence to help establish the college. The college was founded in 1889 at a time when women were not admitted to university medical schools in the UK.

Thomas Alexander Goldie Balfour FRCPE, FRSE was a Scottish physician and botanist. He was the father of Sir Andrew Balfour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Hunter (Madras surgeon)</span>

Alexander Hunter was a surgeon in the East India Company's Madras Army who was also a skilled and trained artist. In 1850 he founded the Madras School of Art, the first school of art and design in India, which was taken over by the government in 1855. He was a pioneer of photography in India, introduced courses at the art school, and founded the Madras Photographic Society. He was also a collector of geological specimens, a naturalist with interests in economic products, and a key organizer of the Madras Exhibitions of 1855 and 1857.

James Stirton was a Scottish physician and one of Scotland's leading experts on cryptogamic botany. His investigations in bryology and lichenology earned him a world-wide reputation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Christison</span> Scottish physician, botanist, writer and antiquary

David Christison FRCPE LLD was a Scottish physician, botanist, writer and antiquary. He served as a military doctor during the Crimean War, at which time, owing to illness, he abandoned his medical career. From the 1860s onwards Christison travelled extensively in South America and became a travel writer, publishing an account of his journeys within Paraguay, and other books on topics relating to that country. He also turned to archaeology in which, through his interest in botany, he made advances in the science of dendrochronology. He became a pioneer of systematic field study in archaeological research and was one of the first to carry out an extensive investigation of Scotland's ancient hillforts, writing and publishing extensively on the topic in later life.

References

  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. 1 2 3 "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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.