page_title: Botanical Survey of India
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Botanical Survey of India / History
caption_attribution_description: Portrait of Sir George King (12 April 1840 - 12 February 1909)
context_page_description: Botanical Survey of India is a botanical garden located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was founded on 13 February 1890, is Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's organization for survey, research and conservation of plant resources, flora and endangered species of India, including by collecting and maintaining germplasm and gene bank of endangered, patent and vulnerable plant species.
context_section_description: BSI was formally instituted by East India Company (EIC) on 13 February 1890 under the direction of Sir George King who became first ex-officio director, earlier he had been superintendent of Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta since 1871. The Calcutta Garden became the headquarters of the Survey and was given regional responsibility for Bengal, Assam, North East, Burma, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  Prior to 1890, EIC had already established botanical gardens at Sibpur, pune, Saharanpur and Madras as centres for improving botanical knowledge and experimentation under the local Governments, for example Saharanpoor botanical garden, dating earlier than 1750, was acquired by EIC in 1817 for growing medicinal plants. Most of the EIC botanical gardens' work was for the cultivation of plants for exploiting resources of India for commerce and trade.
caption: Sir George King founder ex-officio Director of Botanical Survey of India
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