The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) is a scientific society for the study of

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

, plant distribution and

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

relating to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

and the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. The society was founded as the Botanical Society of London in 1836, and became the Botanical Society of the British Isles, eventually changing to its current name in 2013. It includes both professional and amateur members and is the largest organisation devoted to

botany Botany, also called , 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 w ...

in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. Its history is recounted in David Allen's book ''The Botanists''. The society publishes handbooks and journals, conducts national surveys and training events, and hosts conferences. It also awards grants and bursaries, sets professional standards (with Field Identification Skills Certificates (FISCs)), and works in an advisory capacity for governments and

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s. The society is managed by a council of elected members, and is a Registered Charity in England & Wales (212560) and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

(SC038675). BSBI VC51 surveying Minera Mountain

Publications

The BSBI has produced two

atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

es covering the distribution of vascular plants in British Isles. A third atlas, ''Atlas 2020'', is nearing completion, with publication due in late 2022. It publishes a

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of int ...

, BSBI News (ISSN 0309-930X), that is distributed to members three times a year and is available online. The BSBI published a scientific periodical, ''

New Journal of Botany The ''New Journal of Botany'' was a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research on the native flora of Northern and Western Europe, including population and conservation biology, ecological genetics, autecological, physiological, and phen ...

'' (formerly ''Watsonia''), that was discontinued in 2017. The journal had a north-western European scope covering vascular plants, their taxonomy, biosystematics, ecology, distribution and conservation, as well as topics of a more general or historical nature". This has been replaced by an online journal, ''British and Irish Botany''. The society produced the ''

Atlas of the British Flora The ''Atlas of the British Flora'' is a book by Franklyn Perring and S. Max Walters, published by the Botanical Society of the British Isles. It was first published in 1962, with a second edition published in 1976, and a third in 1982. The atla ...

'' in 2002, the Vice-county Census Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Great Britain in 2003, and publishes the ''BSBI Handbooks'' series.

Handbook series

The following Handbooks have been produced, with more promised for the future. # Sedges. (3rd edition) 2007. A.C. Jermy, D.A. Simpson, M.J.Y. Foley & M.S. Porter # Umbellifers. 1980. T.G. Tutin # Docks and Knotweeds. 1981. J.E. Lousley & D.H. Kent # Willows and Poplars. 1984. R.D. Meikle # Charophytes. 1986. J.A. Moore # Crucifers. 1991. T.C.G. Rich # Roses. 1993. G.G. Graham & A.L. Primavesi # Pondweeds. 1995. C.D. Preston # Dandelions. 1997. A.A. Dudman & A.J. Richards # Sea Beans & Nickar Nuts. 2000. E.C. Nelson # Water-starworts of Europe. 2008. R.V. Lansdown # Fumitories. 2009. R.J. Murphy # Grasses. 2009. T. Cope & A. Gray # Whitebeams, Rowans and Service Trees. 2010. T.C.G. Rich, L. Houston, A. Robertson & M.C.F. Proctor. # British Northern Hawkweeds. 2011. T.C.G. Rich & W. Scott. # Evening-primroses. 2016. R.J. Murphy. # Violas. 2017. M. Porter & M. Foley. # Eyebrights. 2018. C. Metherell & F. Rumsey. # Gentians of Britain and Ireland. 2019. Tim Rich & Andy McVeigh. # Hawkweeds of South-East England. 2020. Mike Shaw. # Monograph of British and Irish Hieracium section Foliosa and section Prenanthoidea. 2021. Tim Rich and David McCosh. # Broomrapes of Britain and Ireland. 2021. Chris Thorogood & Fred Rumsey. # Field Handbook to British and Irish Dandelions. 2021. A.J. Richards. # Alchemilla: Lady's Mantles of Britain and Ireland. 2022. Mark Lynes.

Publications dealing with rare plants

The BSBI's attitudes to publication of details of locations of rare plants have changed over time. In 1991, publicly criticised the author John Fisher, for writing "A Colour Guide to Rare Wild Flowers", a book which gave details of the locations of a selection of rare plants, stating that it was not in the interests of conservation. Following this criticism, Fisher resigned his membership of the BSBI. Fourteen years later, David Pearman, the Society's General Secretary, contrasted the way in which Fisher was, as Pearman termed it, "hounded out", with the more open attitudes that had then taken hold.Pearman, David A. (2005) "Book Notes"
BSBI News No. 98
' pages 54-55 In more recent times, the BSBI has produced or supported the production of a number of County Rare Plant Registers, books which list all known locations for all rare plants in their county of coverage.

References

Bibliography

External links

BSBI website
*
BSBI Facebook Group
{{authority control Scientific societies based in the United Kingdom Charities based in Bristol Botanical societies 1836 establishments in the United Kingdom Scientific organizations established in 1836 Scientific organisations based in the United Kingdom