01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC016283
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Scotland and other parts of the UK
- Volunteers
- 1-50 volunteers
- Staff
- 0
- Postcode
- EH3 5LR
OSCR note: This SCIO was incorporated on 15th April 2014 as a result of a Change to SCIO application by SC016283 The Botanical Society of Scotland, which was an unincorporated association registered as a charity since 19 February 1918.
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
The BSS ran a pgm. of public lectures subsequently promoted via YouTube (12), field meetings (8), a joint mtng. with the BSBI, a series of student workshops and continued the monthly 'plant pub' and other events to enable anyone interested in plants to meet socially. With increasing membership, the new database now enables these events to be booked online. The weekly plant blog has now reached 300 spp and is indexed online. We produced 2 editions of BSS News and 3 issues of Plant Ecology and Diversity. Funding assistance towards field work and training was made available for undergraduate students studying plant sciences (7 awards, £3757 total) and a prize awarded for the best undergraduate thesis (£200). Project reports were published in BSS News and via social media. The Urban Flora of Scotland project published a WildID Guide with the FSC and will publish a full colour book The Urban Flora of Scotland in 2027.
Charitable purposes
- the advancement of education
- the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science
- the advancement of environmental protection or improvement
Beneficiaries
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
Activities
- It makes grants, donations, loans, gifts or pensions to individuals
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
To advance the study of plants, algae, cryptogams, fungi and associated organisms, to spread botanical knowledge and understanding of the part played by these organisms in Scotland's environment, culture, history and heritage. To encourage the academic study of botany at School and University level by providing a forum for professional amateur botanists and students to study and discuss all aspects of botany and by offering grants and awards for excellence in project work so far as and by any means that our resources permit. To promote public interest in Scotland's botany, native plants and vegetation and their habitats by involving and engaging with the public in constructive projects that promote the knowledge, appreciation, observation, recording and conservation of all wild plants. To provide information, education and advice, with the aim of promoting awareness of the unique character of Scotland's flora, encouraging awareness of environmental, climate change and management impacts on native plants, vegetation and habitats and an interest in the development of informed strategies for their conservation and the mitigation and reduction of adverse impacts
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Income | Expenditure | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 April 2026 | £76,038 | £55,945 | 0 | 10 July 2026 |
| 30 April 2025 | £16,037 | £13,591 | 0 | 3 November 2025 |
| 30 April 2024 | £30,980 | £29,752 | 0 | 5 November 2024 |
| 30 April 2023 | £19,680 | £15,598 | 0 | 9 January 2024 |
| 30 April 2022 | £14,771 | £11,877 | 0 | 20 December 2022 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- c/o Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh
- Website supplied to OSCR
- botsoc.scot/
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.