Opening address by the President of the Society: Between communities and molecules. Perspectives at the 150-year Jubilee of The Royal Botanical Society of The Netherlands

This year the Royal Botanical Society of The Netherlands celebrates its 150th anniversary and, with that, it is one of the very few scientific societies to reach such a respectable age. The founders of the Society had already recognized the fundamental importance of plants in all aspects of life. Knowledge of plants, their metabolism, structure, functioning, inheritance and ecology is not only essential for curiosity and science, but also for human survival. We cannot exist without plants and therefore, as has been true for so many years, the Society represents all directions of botany and is responsible for the stimulation of research, varying from plant parts to the entire vegetation. This celebration provides us with a splendid opportunity to look at the history of the Society and to think about its future. We will all experience this reflection as an exciting journey over the hills and through the valleys of botany during so many decades. We will also face many challenges providing us with so many perspectives in botany. The Society started with the study of the flora but, soon after its birth, plant sociology, plant systematics and taxonomy, as well as experiments in plant physiology and genetics, were incorporated.