Botanical Survey of India

{{Multiple issues|

}}

{{Infobox government agency

| name = Botanical Survey of India

| native_name = {{lang|hi|भारतीय वनस्पति सर्वेक्षण}}

| logo = Botanical_Survey_of_India.svg

| logo_width = 200

| logo_alt = Logo of Botanical Survey of India

| logo_caption =

| image = Industrial Section - Botanical Survey of India - Indian Museum Campus - Kolkata 2014-02-14 3255.JPG

| image_size = 200

| image_alt = BSI Industrial Section at Kolkata

| image_caption= BSI Industrial Section at Kolkata

| formed = {{Start date and age|1890|02|13}}

| type = Government of India research organization

| jurisdiction = India

| headquarters = Kolkata, West Bengal, India

| budget = {{INRConvert|136.06|c}} (2025{{ndash}}26){{Cite web |date=1 Feb 2025 |title=DEMAND NO. 28, Demands for Grants, 2025-2026, MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE |url=https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/doc/eb/sbe28.pdf|access-date=1 Feb 2025 |website=IndiaBudget.gov.in |pages=5 |publication-place=New Delhi}}

| parent_department = Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

| minister1_name =

| minister1_pfo = Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

| chief1_name = Dr Ashiho Asosii Mao

| chief1_position = Director

| website = {{official URL|https://bsi.gov.in/}}

}}

File:The-great-banyan-tree.jpg, Shibpur.]]

Botanical Survey of India (BSI) is a governmental research institution in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was founded on 13 February 1890 during British Raj in India and now is under the Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.{{Cite web |title=Director Desk |url=https://bsi.gov.in/page/en/director-desk |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250318101105/https://bsi.gov.in/page/en/director-desk |archive-date=2025-03-18 |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=bsi.gov.in |language=en}} BSI is broadly responsible for research and conservation of plant wealth of India, flora and endangered species of India, botanical surveys, collecting and maintaining germplasm and gene bank of endangered, patent and vulnerable plant species, and contributing to taxonomic research.{{Cite book |last=Basak |first=R. K. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/BSI_an_Account_of_Its_Establishment_Deve/BePaAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=BSI, an Account of Its Establishment, Development & Activities |date=1983-01-01 |publisher=Botanical Survey of India |language=en}}

History

File:George_King.jpg founder ex-officio Director of Botanical Survey of India]]

BSI was formally instituted by East India Company (EIC) on 13 February 1890[http://envfor.nic.in/bsi/ Botanical Survey of India (BSI) "History", Botanical Survey of India.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224224230/http://envfor.nic.in/bsi/ |date=24 February 2007 }} under the direction of Sir George King who became first ex-officio director, earlier he had been superintendent of Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta since 1871. The Calcutta Garden became the headquarters of the Survey and was given regional responsibility for Bengal, Assam, North East, Burma, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[http://bsi.gov.in BSI]

Prior to 1890, EIC had already established botanical gardens at Sibpur, Pune, Saharanpur and Madras as centres for improving botanical knowledge and experimentation under the local Governments, for example Saharanpoor botanical garden, dating earlier than 1750, was acquired by EIC in 1817 for growing medicinal plants.[http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/online-ex/art-themes//india/more/lily_more_info.htm The Saharánpur Botanic Garden", Natural History Museum, London] Most of the EIC botanical gardens' work was for the cultivation of plants for exploiting resources of India for commerce and trade.

Academic and research program

Botanical Survey of India also offers Fellowship for doing research in Plant Taxonomy and also offers post doctorate fellowships to those who are trained in Taxonomy and want to continue their research related to the mandate of BSI.

Publications

Apart from the Publishing Flora of India series books, states floras, flora of Protected regions and Red Data Book of Indian Plants, BSI have also known for its various annual publications some of them are:{{cite book |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325644547 |isbn=978-81-8177-079-0 |via=ResearchGate|title=Plant Discoveries 2017: New Genera, Species, and New Records |last1=India |first1=Botanical Survey of |year=2018 |publisher=Botanical Survey of India }}

Plant Discoveries: Plant Discoveries is an annual bilingual publication of Botanical Survey of India, having most authentic information on India's plant wealth. As per recent release of Plant Discoveries 2019 by Botanical Survey of India, there is a total of 18800 species of angiosperms, 82 species of gymnosperms, 1307 species of pteridophytes, 15447 species of fungi, 7434 species of algae, 2786 species of bryophytes, 2981 species of lichens and 1239 species of microbes in India, which is approximately 8 percent of total recorded plant species in world. Since its reorganization, in 1954, BSI officials described 01 new families, 42 new genus and 1719 new species and infra-specific taxon. During 2019, total 253 plants has been discovered by scientist of BSI and other institutes.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nelumbo-bsi.org/index.php/nlmbo/pages/view/aj|title = About the journal}} Nelumbo is a biannual journal published by the Botanical Survey of India. The journal is peer-reviewed and authentic journal of plant taxonomy and plant sciences. As per recent NAAS rating 2019 the journal rated 4.17.{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330107446 |title=List of new journals with NAAS Scores 2019 -National Academy of Agricultural Sciences- ICAR- New Delhi |date=January 2019 |author=Rajni Kant |via=ResearchGate}}{{Cite web|url=http://bsi.gov.in/Publication/239_1_PublicationLists.aspx|title=Botanical Survey of India}}

According to the Botanical Survey of India, India is currently having 8000 species of medicinal plants. Therefore, the ministry of Ayush provides financial support in the form of Subsidies, for the cultivation of various medicinal plants and the species which are required by AYUSH systems and also to take care of other plants which are on the verge of extinction.

File:The_Great_Banyan_Tree.jpg at Kolkata, a Botanical Survey of India garden.]]