The Society's aims are to advance knowledge and appreciation of flowering and cryptogamic plants, algae and fungi.
The Society's activities[1] include lectures (mainly held in Edinburgh, but also in other Scottish cities), symposia, field excursions, field projects and an annual Scottish Botanist's Conference, held jointly with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland for exchange of information between botanists working in different areas.
Its publications include a twice-yearly newsletter, BSS News, and a scientific journal, Plant Ecology & Diversity.
BSS is the only British botanical society with a keen interest in both flowering and non-flowering plants (e.g. ferns, mosses and algae) and fungi.
An annual meeting, the Scottish Botanist's Conference is held each autumn, run jointly by BSBI, BSS and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.