A publishing experiment in 1902
Working at University College London, Tansley saw a need for botanists to exchange observations, methods and teaching ideas promptly. He financed a new journal whose first issue appeared in January 1902.
The early plan offered ten thin issues a year with an emphasis on communication. The foundation’s history records an initial investment of about £130 and reports that the journal became self-supporting within two years.
References: [1]
A journal across plant science
Early volumes combined plant anatomy and physiology with vegetation accounts and ecological discussion. Tansley insisted on including different branches of botany rather than restricting it to ecology.
The journal’s later description preserves this breadth, extending from intracellular processes to global environmental change while retaining a focus on plant science and its applications.
Tansley’s editorship
Tansley edited the journal until 1931. Through accounts of vegetation at home and abroad, he used publishing to bring materials and methods from different regions into comparison.
Journal of Ecology provided another specialist outlet from 1913. New Phytologist retained its wider botanical identity rather than becoming the organ of the ecological society.
References: [1]
Ownership and publishing services
The journal belongs to the New Phytologist Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization promoting plant science. The foundation works with a publishing company to produce and distribute papers and supports scientific meetings, grants and other activities from publishing income.
Its partnership with Wiley began in January 2001. The journal, its owning foundation and the company supplying publishing services are connected organizations with different responsibilities.
References: [2]