The Smithsonian Botanical Symposium brings together the national and international plant systematics community to address a botanical topic of current significance. The symposium is held each spring at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

The presentation of the José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany, an honor bestowed annually on a botanist and scholar of international stature who has contributed significantly to advancing the field of tropical botany, takes place during the symposium.

Visit the archive pages to view the programs, abstracts, and images from earlier symposia. [Archive sites will open in a new window. Close the window when you finish.]

• 2012 "Transforming 21st Century Comparative Biology using Evolutionary Trees"
• 2010 "Food For Thought: 21st Century Perspectives on Plants and People"
• 2009 "Genes, Genomics, and Genome Evolution in Plants"
• 2008 "Partners in Evolution: Interactions, Adaptations, and Speciation"
• 2006 "Island Archipelagos: Cauldrons of Evolution"
• 2005 "The Future of Floras: New Frameworks, New Technologies, New Uses"
• 2004 "Botanical Progress, Horticultural Innovations, and Cultural Changes"
• 2003 "Botanical Frontiers in Southeast Asia"
• 2002 "The Convention on Biological Diversity"
• 2001 "Linnaean Taxonomy in the 21st Century"