The green world that we live in would not have been possible without hidden changes to the plant body over the last 400 million years. To grow beyond just centimetres tall outside of the wettest places on land, plants had to re-arrange their water-conducting tissues to keep them safe from drought. A new study by […]

The steppes of Eastern Europe are home to a similar number of plant species as the regions of the Amazon rainforest. However, this is only apparent when species are counted in small sampling areas, rather than hectares of land. An international team of researchers, including researchers from the Institute of Botany, has now shown how […]

The Western Podillia region of Ukraine is a unique biogeographic area, known for its high biodiversity. Scientists at the Institute of Botany of the CAS have found that many species are maintained here due to the long-term stability of the open landscape since the end of the Ice Age. Both climate and humans have influenced […]

On the weekend of 20-22 May, the first BioBlitz event took place in the Czech Republic, where the public could participate in the mapping of non-native species of animals and plants. Over three days, more than 100 enthusiasts sent in 250 observations on 17 non-native species.

The first edition of the Alien CSI Bioblitz, a 3-days event across Europe, just started.  The wide public may collaborate and help scientists detect IAS in the Czech Republic. More information is available at https://iasbioblitz.creaf.cat/czech-republic.  

The magnolias are in full bloom and this means that the main visitor season in Průhonice Park has begun. Thousands of rhododendrons are yet to flood the park with their colors, but visitors can already enjoy the spring flowers of Alpina and the first results of the park’s restoration work. In connection with the 60th […]

The general public can participate in the citizen science project “Looking for Cowslips” and contribute to Europe-wide research by observing nature. Last year, thanks to volunteers, data on almost 400,000 plants from 31 countries were collected. The information collected helps scientists to better understand not only cowslips, but also other species. Based on this information, […]

Plant species established on edaphic islands have special properties that help them to persist in place. Research by scientists at the Institute of Botany has answered the question of what these traits are and what strategies edaphic island species use to successfully survive in these conditions. The results of the study have been published in […]

From 1 March to 20 May, the Science and Art Gallery at the Czech Academy of Sciences will host the exhibition The Mysterious World of the  Plant Bellowground, whose guarantor is Jitka Klimešová from the Institute of Botany.    

A new study involving more than 100 scientists from across the globe and the largest forest database yet assembled estimates that there are about 73,000 tree species on Earth, including about 9,200 species yet to be discovered. Researchers from Institute of Botany have been involved in the research by supplying unique data from research plots […]

On 1st January the Institute of Botany of the CAS celebrated 60 years since its foundation. During the six decades of its existence, the small geobotanical workplaces has become the largest botanical research centre in the Czech Republic, which significantly contributes to research and nature conservation not only in the Czech Republic, but also in […]

Regional species assemblages have been shaped by colonization, speciation and extinction over millions of years. Humans have altered biogeography by introducing species to new ranges. However, an analysis of how strongly naturalized plant species (i.e. alien plants that have established self-sustaining populations) affect the taxonomic and phylogenetic uniqueness of regional floras globally is still missing. […]

From October 2021, the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences is included in the list of institutions that have been awarded the “Quality Mark” HR Award. Receiving this international award confirms that the Institute of Botany has a quality scientific work environment and good conditions for professional development. At the same time, […]

Exhibition “African Savanna Seen by Camera Traps” is held on Gallery Natura in September and October and is organized by Institute of Botany.  

Scientists studying tropical forests in Africa’s mountains were surprised to uncover how much carbon they store, and how fast some of these forests are being cleared. Article in Nature High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests.    

The Plant journal article (English)

Botanic Garden in Průhonice was accredited by Botanic Gardens Conservation International as the first botanical garden in the Czech Republic. More about accreditation and BGCI.

A small drone adapted for invasive plant species monitoring is one of the results of long-term cooperation between the Brno University of Technology and the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences. While a functional sample of an improved aircraft is being created at the Institute of Aviation of the Faculty of Mechanical […]

A Panicum-derived chromosomal segment captured by Hordeum a few million years ago preserves a set of stress-related genes, The Plant Journal (in English).

Mapping past human land use using archaeological data: A new classification for global land use synthesis and data harmonization, PLOS ONE (in English)  

Institute of Botany and Czech Union for Nature Conservation invite everybody to take part in the biggest cowslip observation campaign “Looking for Cowslips”. The idea of a pan-European cowslip flower observation stems from a popular science campaign, which started in 2019 in Estonia, where citizen scientists took a close look at the flowers of more than 200,000 […]

Holocene plant diversity dynamics show a distinct biogeographical pattern in temperate Europe, Journal of Biogeography (published article in English)