Kew Bulletin

Kew Bulletin
Title	Kew Bulletin
Discipline	Botany
Language	English
Publisher	Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Country	United Kingdom
History	1887–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0075-5974

Kew Bulletin is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It specializes in systematic botany, taxonomy, floristics and monographic treatments of plant groups, with emphasis on descriptive and revisionary work that underpins botanical nomenclature, biogeography and conservation. The journal has historically produced foundational treatments used by taxonomists, curators and field botanists across museums, herbaria and botanical gardens worldwide.

History

The journal originated in the late 19th century amid institutional initiatives at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and contemporaneous projects associated with Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Alfred Russel Wallace, Royal Society, and colonial botanical exploration. Early volumes recorded plant collections from expeditions linked to James Cook, Alexander von Humboldt, David Livingstone, and botanical networks centered on Kew Gardens personnel and botanical collectors employed by entities like the Hudson's Bay Company and the East India Company. Influential 19th- and early 20th-century contributors included members of the Linnean Society of London, correspondents with the Garden Club of America, and taxonomists affiliated with institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London and the British Museum. Throughout the 20th century the journal reflected shifts in imperial and post-imperial botanical science with contributions tied to botanical surveys in regions administered by the British Empire, later branching into collaborations with national herbaria like the National Herbarium of New South Wales, the National Herbarium of Victoria, and the United States National Herbarium.

Editorial stewardship intersected with movements in systematics influenced by figures associated with the International Botanical Congress, the development of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, and later editions of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Collections and types cited in early papers have provenance linked to collectors such as Joseph Banks, Johann Reinhold Forster, William Roxburgh, Joseph Dalton Hooker, and regional botanists including Ferdinand von Mueller and C. G. G. Jussieu. The journal adapted through scientific revolutions in phylogenetics, molecular systematics, and conservation biology during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, engaging authors from institutions including Harvard University Herbaria, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Scope and Content

Content emphasizes taxonomic revisions, monographs, floristic inventories, nomenclatural notes, and typification proposals that affect plant names governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Typical subjects include revisions of genera and families, regional checklists tied to areas such as Madagascar, New Guinea, Amazon Basin, Southeast Asia, East Africa, and island floras like Galápagos Islands and Mascarene Islands. The journal publishes descriptive treatments of taxa collected by expeditions from institutions including Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, and the National Museum of Natural History (France), with citation of type material housed in repositories such as the Kew Herbarium, BM (British Museum) collections, MU (Masaryk University) collections, and the US National Herbarium.

Articles routinely intersect with conservation assessments linked to organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, regional botanical institutions like the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and university departments including University of Oxford and University of Cambridge plant science groups. Monographs often integrate morphological study, palynology, anatomy, and molecular data produced in laboratories at institutions like Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of California, Berkeley.

Editorial and Publication Details

The journal is managed by editorial staff and an international editorial board composed of taxonomists and systematists associated with institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Natural History Museum, London, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Harvard University Herbaria, National University of Singapore, and Université Pierre et Marie Curie. Peer review follows standards common to botanical journals endorsed by the International Association for Plant Taxonomy and procedures discussed at the International Botanical Congress. Publication frequency, format and distribution have evolved from bound volumes to modern digital platforms hosted by scholarly publishers and institutional repositories, mirroring practices at publishers like Cambridge University Press and indexing services linked with JSTOR and academic consortia.

Authors submit nomenclatural proposals and typifications that adhere to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants; editorial workflows require verification of type specimens and citations to herbarium collections such as Kew Herbarium (K), BM (British Museum), P (Paris Herbarium), and the NY Botanical Garden Herbarium (NY). Special issues and monographic supplements have been produced in partnership with botanical institutions including the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and regional herbaria.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major bibliographic services used by botanists and taxonomists, including bibliographic databases maintained by organizations such as Web of Science, Scopus, and subject indexes tied to libraries like the British Library and databases used by the Biodiversity Heritage Library. It is catalogued in national and university library systems across institutions such as the Library of Congress, Natural History Museum Library, Kew Library, and repositories linked to consortia including the CONSORTIUM of European Research Libraries.

Digital archiving and discoverability are facilitated via platforms and aggregators used by botanical researchers, aligning with metadata standards promoted by organizations like the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

Impact and Reception

The journal has played a sustained role in stabilizing plant nomenclature and advancing floristic knowledge relied upon by botanists at institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Natural History Museum, London, Smithsonian Institution, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, and universities worldwide. Its monographic outputs inform conservation policy tied to agencies like the IUCN, regional conservation authorities, and botanical gardens including the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Missouri Botanical Garden. Citation metrics reflect influence among specialist journals in systematic botany and plant taxonomy, with foundational treatments frequently cited in floras, checklists and monographs produced by authors at institutions such as Harvard University Herbaria, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the National Herbarium of New South Wales.

Scholarly reception highlights the journal's role in producing rigorous taxonomic revisions, though like many specialist outlets it faces debates over publication models, open access pressures championed by entities such as the Wellcome Trust and Plan S proponents, and challenges in accommodating molecular data standards developed by laboratories across universities and botanical research centers.

Category:Botany journals