Botany: Associations, Institutes and Societies

AASP was established in 1967 by a group of 32 founding members to promote the science of palynology. Today AASP has a world-wide membership of about 500 and is run by an executive including an elected Board of Directors and subsidiary boards and committees. The executive Board of Directors meets at the Annual Meetings and at mid-yearly meetings. In 2008, AASP changed its name from the "American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists, Inc." to "AASP - The Palynological Society" and changed its logo to reflect AASP's promotion of all aspects of palynology in academia and industry.

AgNIC is the Agriculture Network Information Center – a voluntary alliance and partnership of nearly 60 member institutions and organizations working to offer quick and reliable access to quality agricultural information and sources. AgNIC is supported, in part, by the USDA’s National Agricultural Library (NAL) through provision of the AgNIC Secretariat and other program support.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) is a nationwide organization of poison centers and interested individuals. Objectives are to provide a forum for poison centers and interested individuals to promote the reduction of morbidity and mortality from poisonings through public and professional education and scientific research and to set voluntary standards for poison center operations.

At the American Botanical Council, we are passionate about helping people live healthier lives through the responsible use of herbs, medicinal plants. We are an independent, nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to providing accurate and reliable information for consumers, healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators, industry and the media.

The American Bryological and Lichenological Society was founded in 1898. It is an organization devoted to the scientific study of all aspects of the biology of bryophytes and lichen-forming fungi and is one of the nation's oldest botanical organizations. Membership is open to all persons (professionals and amateurs) with interest in these organisms. Approximately 625 individuals currently hold membership in the Society.

The American Fern Society is over 100 years old. With over 900 members worldwide, it is one of the largest international fern clubs in the world. It was established in 1893 with the objective of fostering interest in ferns and fern allies. To this end it encourages correspondence and the exchange of information and specimens between members via its newsletter the Fiddlehead Forum.

The American Herb Association promotes the understanding and ecological use of medicinal herbs and aromatherapy.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the only national trade association that is focused primarily on herbs and herbal products. All of AHPA’s activities are focused on its mission, to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products, and are undertaken to maintain and improve market opportunities for companies that sell herbs, herbal products and other health-related products, and to ensure that consumers continue to enjoy informed access to a wide choice of goods.

The American Horticultural Society (AHS) is one of the oldest national gardening organizations in the country. Since 1922, we have provided America's gardeners with the highest quality gardening and horticultural education possible.

The American Orchid Society is more than just a flower club. Throughout its 85-year history the AOS, in keeping with its vision and mission, has strived to bring our members timely and state-of-the-art orchid information, support basic and applied research in orchids, and monitor and support conservation effort both here in North America as well as throughout the World.

The APS will be a diverse global community of scientists that: provides credible and beneficial information related to plant health; advocates and participates in the exchange of knowledge with the public, policy makers, and the larger scientific community; and promotes and provides opportunities for scientific communication, career preparation and professional development for its members.

Founded in 1940 as the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) adopted a new name in 2006. Over the last six decades, the APGA has emerged as the premiere association for public gardens in North America. Today, APGA's 500 member institutions are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and seven other countries. The Association's individual members live in every state, the District of Columbia, Canada, and 24 other countries. The APGA is committed to increasing the knowledge of public garden professionals throughout North America through information sharing, professional development, networking, public awareness, and research so they have the tools to effectively serve visitors and members.

The ASP promotes research in photobiology, integration of different photobiology disciplines, dissemination of photobiology knowledge, and provides information on photobiological aspects of national and international issues.

Its scope includes the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties of drugs, drug substances, or potential drugs or drug substances of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural sources. Research problems in pharmacognosy include studies in the areas of phytochemistry, microbial chemistry, biosynthesis, biotransformation, chemotaxonomy, and other biological and chemical sciences.

The American Society of Plant Biologists was founded in 1924 to promote the growth and development of plant biology, to encourage and publish research in plant biology, and to promote the interests and growth of plant scientists in general.

The Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS) promotes Plant Science in Australia and provides professional contact within our community of teachers and researchers in plant science.

Bioversity International, Bioversity for short, is the operating name of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the International Network for Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP)…Bioversity undertakes, encourages and supports research and other activities on the use and conservation of agricultural biodiversity, especially genetic resources, to create more productive, resilient and sustainable harvests. Our aim is to promote the greater well-being of people, particularly poor people in developing countries, by helping them to achieve food security, to improve their health and nutrition, to boost their incomes, and to conserve the natural resources on which they depend.

The Society was founded in 1893. We represent professional botanists, plant scientists, educators, students and amateur plant science enthusiasts around the world. Our primary purpose is to 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.

The Botanical Society of the British Isles is for everyone who is interested in the flora of Britain and Ireland. The society traces its origins back to 1836, when it was founded as the Botanical Society of London. From its earliest days it has welcomed both professional and amateur members, and it remains the biggest and most active organisation devoted to the study of botany in the British Isles. The BSBI produces national Atlases and county Floras of the distribution of plants. It publishes a scientific journal, Watsonia, and holds conferences on botany. Members are kept informed by a newsletter three times a year and are invited to make use of our system of county recorders and national referees who can help with the identification of plants. Field meetings are held throughout Britain and Ireland, and sometimes abroad.

The vision of the British Ecological Society is to advance ecology and make it count.

The Society was formed in 1958 to stimulate and advance interest in all branches of lichenology. The first society in the world entirely devoted to the study of lichens, it has many overseas as well as British members.

The Society was founded in 1952. Its aims, according to its Constitution, are: “...to advance education by the encouragement and pursuit of all aspects of the study of algae and to publish the results of this research in a journal, and also in other publications which shall from time to time appear desirable, provided that all publications of the Society shall be available to the general public."

The British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP) was founded in 1981 for the study and advancement of plant pathology. The BSPP welcomes members from all over the world and from all branches of plant pathology. We support the professional interests of plant pathologists worldwide and provide information and communicate with our members via a newsletter, website and annual meeting. We organise regular scientific meetings, edit three international pathology journals and make funds available to members for travel, short term visiting fellowships, student bursaries and innovation projects. We are a registered charity.

The Canadian Botanical Association (CBA/ABC) serves as the national organization for botanists in Canada, including professional botanists at universities, colleges, schools, government and industry as well as students, technicians and amateurs. The association represents Canadian Botany and botanists in matters of local, national and international importance.

The Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists provides a forum for plant scientists in Canada to meet and discuss not only the latest scientific developments in the field, but also the political, social and financial issues that we all face as we develop our research and/or teaching careers.

The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. (CBHL) is an international organization of individuals, organizations and institutions concerned with the development, maintenance and use of libraries of botanical and horticultural literature. The purpose of CBHL is to initiate and improve communication and coordinate activities and programs of mutual interest and benefit to its membership.

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of scientists founded in 1915 to: promote ecological science by improving communication among ecologists; raise the public's level of awareness of the importance of ecological science; increase the resources available for the conduct of ecological science; and ensure the appropriate use of ecological science in environmental decision making by enhancing communication between the ecological community and policy-makers.

EPSO, the European Plant Science Organisation, is an independent academic organisation currently representing 61 institutional members bringing together more than 204 research institutes, departments and universities from 29 countries in Europe and beyond. EPSO’s mission is to improve the impact and visibility of plant science in Europe.

The Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology (formerly the Federation of European Societies of Plant Physiology) was founded in 1978 and today it is Europe 's largest and most widely representative society of Plant Scientists. The aims of FESPB are to advance research, education, and the exchange of information amongst plant biologists within Europe and beyond, and to support the publication of the results of research through its six affiliated international journals: Journal of Experimental Botany, Journal of Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Physiologia Plantarum, Plant Biology and Functional Plant Biology. In pursuit of these aims, FESPB produces a regular electronic newsletter (FESPBNewsletter) that carries information about FESPB and the activities of its members, in addition to job opportunities and studentships and announcements of forthcoming conferences, meetings and workshops arranged by other organizations.

The GSA seeks to foster a unified science of genetics and to maximize its intellectual and practical impact. Current programs address these goals by promoting: investigation of inheritance and heredity; interaction among geneticists; communication of discoveries; and, education of students and the public.

The Herb Society of America (HSA) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that focuses on educating its members and the public on the cultivation of herbs and the study of their history and uses, both past and present.

Hunt Institute specializes in the history of botany and all aspects of plant science and serves the international scientific community through research and documentation. To this end, the Institute acquires and maintains authoritative collections of books, plant images, manuscripts, portraits and data files, and provides publications and other modes of information service. The Institute meets the reference needs of biologists, historians, conservationists, librarians, bibliographers and the public at large, especially those concerned with any aspect of the North American flora.

The NYBG Institute of Economic Botany (IEB) was founded in 1981, to focus a portion of the Garden's research enterprise on applied botanical questions of great human concern. The field of economic botany, with its allied discipline ethnobotany, involves the study of the relationship between plants and people. Economic botanists pursue research projects on useful plants, from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives.

The International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS) is a worldwide union of scientists and others interested in theoretical and practical studies of vegetation: its composition and structure, history, classification, distribution, ecology, dynamics, management and uses in the landscape. The main goals of the IAVS are to facilitate personal contacts among vegetation scientists all over the world and to promote research in all aspects of vegetation science and its applications.

The International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS) is an organization of horticulturists, conservationists, scientists, and educators all interested in sharing knowledge and news of carnivorous plants.

In a meeting on 8 June 1993 at the Secretariat of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) in Paris, nine international organizations decided to establish, following the recommendation of the 1st World Congress on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (WOCMAP-I), an international non-governmental body with the name: International Council for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ICMAP) with the general objective as promoting international understanding and cooperation between national and international organizations on the role of medicinal and aromatic plants in science, medicine and industry, and to improve the exchange of information between them. This Council coordinates and stimulates cooperation between partners by providing a forum for mobilizing ideas, actions, discussions, long term visions, measures in education and training in all fields related to these plants that play such an important part in the lives of human beings throughout the world.

The International Federation of Palynological Societies (IFPS) is a federation of regional, national, linguistic, and specialist palynological organizations of the world. Its goals are to advance knowledge in palynology and related subjects by promotion of international cooperation and sponsorship of regular meetings between palynologists of all countries and regions. IFPS publishes the WORLD DIRECTORY OF PALYNOLOGISTS irregularly, and PALYNOS Newsletters semiannually.

The International Mycological Association (IMA), founded in 1971, represents the interests of over 30,000 mycologists worldwide. It is a non profit making organization, the purpose of which is the encouragement of mycology in all its branches. The International Mycological Association constitutes the Section for General Mycology of the International Union of Biological Societies (IUBS), the primary biological component of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). Important activities of the IMA are sponsorship of International Mycological Congresses, representation of mycological interests at an international level, and encouragement of liaison with and development of national, regional, and international bodies that have mycological interests. Toward these aims several publications are made available periodically, this web site is maintained, and other activities are pursued.

The International Organisation of Palaeobotany promotes international co-operation in the study of palaeobotany including palaeo-palynology. This is achieved through the publication of an informative newsletter and organisation of international conferences focusing on all aspects of palaeobotany. Organisational activities also include collaboration with numerous other international bodies to ensure the continued scientific development of palaeobotany and its further integration within related fields.

The ISE promotes a critical discussion between everyone interested in local and traditional knowledge on medicinal, food and toxic plants and their past, present and future.

For two decades, the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) has actively promoted and supported the inextricable linkages between biological and cultural diversity and the vital role of Indigenous and local peoples in stewardship of biological diversity and cultural heritage, which includes recognition of land and resource rights, as well as rights and responsibilities over tangible and intangible cultural and intellectual properties. The ISE is committed to understanding the complex relationships which exist between human societies and their environments. A core value of the ISE is the recognition of Indigenous peoples as critical players in the conservation of biological, cultural and linguistic diversity.

The purposes of ISPR are to encourage the growth and to promote the development of photosynthesis as a pure and applied science; to facilitate publication of research in photosynthesis; to sponsor the organization of a triennial International Congress on Photosynthesis; and, to promote international cooperation in photosynthesis research and education.

The J. Craig Venter Institute was formed in October 2006 through the merger of several affiliated and legacy organizations — The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG), The J. Craig Venter Science Foundation, The Joint Technology Center, and the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives (IBEA). Today all these organizations have become one large multidisciplinary genomic-focused organization. With more than 400 scientists and staff, more than 250,000 square feet of laboratory space, and locations in Rockville, Maryland and San Diego, California, the new JCVI is a world leader in genomic research.

The Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists was established in 1959 to promote academic exchange in and contribute to the development of the field of plant physiology. Since then, it has developed into a comprehensive society for ‘the study of the functions of plants’ whose membership includes researchers from such diverse fields as microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and genetics.

The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, founded in 1994, studies the dynamics of plant metabolism in the context of the plant system as a whole.

The Mycological Society of America is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the science of mycology - the study of fungi of all kinds including mushrooms, molds, truffles, yeasts, lichens, plant pathogens, and medically important fungi. Our scholarly journal Mycologia is one of the top mycological serials worldwide. Our bimonthly newsletter Inoculum keeps members up to date on fungal news of all kinds. MSA members meet annually to exchange information about all aspects of fungi.

The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) is an organization of amateur mycologists, originally organized as the People-to-People Committee on Fungi in November 1959. Its mission is to promote, pursue and advance the science of mycology.

Only organization with the mission of producing a published inventory of the plants of the entire New World tropics.

The Palaeontological Association was founded in 1957 and has become one of the world's leading learned societies in this field. The Association is a registered charity that promotes the study of palaeontology and its allied sciences through publication of original research and field guides, sponsorship of meetings and field excursions, provision of web resources and information and a program of annual awards.

The Phycological Society of America (PSA) was founded in 1946 to promote research and teaching in all fields of Phycology. The society publishes the Journal of Phycology and the Phycological Newsletter. Annual meetings are held, often jointly with other national or international societies of mutual member interest.

The Phytochemical Society of Europe exists to serve all those with an interest in the chemistry and biochemistry of plants and in the applications of such knowledge in industry and agriculture.

The Phytochemical Society of North America’s goal is to encourage and stimulate research in the chemistry and biochemistry of plant constituents, their effects upon plant and animal physiology and pathology, and their industrial importance and utilization.

Established in 1804, the Royal Horticultural Society is now the UK's leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. Our goal is to help people share a passion for plants, to encourage excellence in horticulture and inspire all those with an interest in gardening.

SPPS works to promote all aspects experimental plant biology, from molecular cell biology and biochemistry to ecophysiology. SPPS is a forum for contact and communication among plant biologists.

The Society for Economic Botany (SEB) was established in 1959 to foster and encourage scientific research, education, and related activities on the past, present, and future uses of plants, and the relationship between plants and people, and to make the results of such research available to the scientific community and the general public through meetings and publications. With more than 1000 members from all 50 U.S. states and more than 64 countries, SEB serves as the world's largest and most-respected professional society for individuals who are concerned with basic botanical, phytochemical and ethnological studies of plants known to be useful or those which may have potential uses so far undeveloped. It is recognized that the field of economic botany includes all or parts of many established disciplines such as: agronomy, anthropology, archaeology, chemistry, economics, ethnobotany, ethnology, forestry, genetic resources, geography, geology, horticulture, medicine, microbiology, nutrition, pharmacognosy, and pharmacology, in addition to the established botanical disciplines.

The Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB) was founded in 1946 as the Tissue Culture Association to foster exchange of knowledge of in vitro biology of cells, tissues and organs from both plant and animals (including humans). The focus is on biological research, development, and applications of significance to science and society.

The Society for Medicinal Plant Research is an international, neutral and independent association of scientists from research institutions of universities and companies as well as other interested people engaged in the advancement of research and science in the field of medicinal plants, natural bioactive compounds and phytotherapy.

The Society of Ethnobiology is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of the relationships of plants and animals with human cultures worldwide, including past and present relationships between peoples and the environment. Our interests encompass ethnobotany, ethnozoology, linguistics, paleoethnobotany, zooarchaeology, ethnoecology, and other related areas in anthropology and biology. We are committed to scholarly research and to inclusive relationships with communities with whom we work and with colleagues around the world.

The UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants is a multidisciplinary research, teaching and extension unit directed to develop environmentally sound techniques for the management of aquatic and natural area weed species and to coordinate aquatic plant research activities within the State of Florida.