The Société botanique de Genève was founded in 1875 by five young naturalists: Auguste Lemaitre, Eugène Penard, Eugène Privat, Henri Rornieux and Adolphe Tschumi. It is dedicated to researching various aspects of botany in the broadest sense: floristics, taxonomy, physiology and ecology. In particular, it focuses on cataloguing the flora of the canton of Geneva. The society also organises monthly meetings at which speakers discuss a botanical topic, as well as excursions throughout Europe.
In 1878, the society began reporting on its activities in the «Bulletin des travaux de la Société botanique de Genève». The publication has changed its title several times. Since 1970, the society has published the journal «Saussurea», which appears annually and combines popular science articles with purely scientific texts.
