Welcome to the Davis Botanical Society!
The Davis Botanical Society (DBS) is the support organization for the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity and the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory.
The Center for Plant Diversity houses a 300,000+ specimen herbarium that was started in 1884 and is used for plant identification, training in the plant collecting, and documenting the flora of California.
The Botanical Conservatory houses a very diverse and world-class teaching collection of living plants, including orchids, succulents, carnivorous plants, the charismatic Titan Arums and outdoor teaching gardens such as the Joe and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Gardens.
Started in 1992, the Davis Botanical Society is an essential link between the community and the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory and Herbarium, enabling friends, alumni and students to become involved and engaged with these valuable programs and resources at the University.
Statement of Purpose
To assist the University of California, Davis in support of the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity Herbarium and the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory for the benefit of science and society.
The Davis Botanical Society will raise funds to enhance these collections and will provide other support activities which will enhance the ability of these collections to fulfill their educational, aesthetic, research, and conservation functions.
We hope you will consider joining us!
Members of the Davis Botanical Society enjoy the knowledge that they are directly supporting two invaluable UC Davis botanical collections that benefit all Californians, as well as supporting student research through the Society’s grants and endowments.
As part of your membership, you will receive our semi-annual newsletter, Lasthenia, as well as invitations to talks on botanical subjects, field trips, plant keying groups, workshops, and other events. The Davis Botanical Society also sponsors an annual grant competition that funds botany research for UC Davis undergraduate and graduate students. Members also are granted early access to plant sales at the UC Davis Arboretum.
Davis Botanical Society Logo
Three plants are included in our logo.
- Tuctoria mucronata representing the Herbarium, left side.
- Quercus from California, right side.
- Cycad representing the Conservatory, center.
History of the Davis Botanical Society
Our 2024 Davis Botanical Society President Katherine Mawdsley has compiled this history using our Lasthenia newsletters as an important resource.
