Founded in 1670 as a physic garden, RBGE is one of the world’s finest centres of horticulture and plant science, and it helped to make the city famous for its medical men and women. Covering 70 acres (28ha), it has nearly 3 million specimens in its herbarium. Peter Davis (1918–92), author of the seminal 11-volume Flora of Turkey, which he completed in 1988 after 23 years of research, was professor of taxonomy at Edinburgh University and was closely linked with RBGE, which holds his field notebooks. The Davis Expedition Fund assists Edinburgh students to undertake biological fieldwork abroad.

RBGE’s many other international ties includes a strong link with Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi in Istanbul.

RBGE has three other collections in Scotland, which make the most of differing climates: Benmore in Argyll: Dawyck in the Scottish Borders: and Logan in south-west Scotland.