Journal profile · PLANT SCIENCES
Alpine Botany
ISSN 1664-2201 · eISSN 1664-221X · Springer International Publishing · SWITZERLAND · 2 issues per year · Founded 2005
Alpine Botany: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.79; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,390; median 123 days to acceptance (48 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 23 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Alpine Botany is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Plant and animal studies and Botany and Plant Ecology Studies, together about 40.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Alpine Botany is an international journal providing a forum for plant science studies across elevation with links to fungal and microbial ecology, including vegetation and flora of mountain regions worldwide. Alpine Botany publishes original contributions and reviews on biogeography, biosystematics, evolutionary biology, population biology, ecophysiology, functional ecology of vegetation, flora as well as symbiotic associations. We also welcome studies on fungi, mosses and lichens and plant-animal interactions. We aim for contributions that explore plant biological phenomena in order to understand functionally ongoing ecological, evolutionary or physiological processes in mountainous regions. Descriptive or applied studies are acceptable, provided that clear research questions are addressed and that findings are presented in a context fitting the scope of the journal. Articles must be relevant for an international readership. Alpine Botany (formerly Botanica Helvetica) is the official publication of the Swiss Botanical Society (SBG) and has been publishing two volumes annually since 1891. It became available in electronic format on Springer Nature Link (2005) but was relaunched under the Springer imprint and the current name in 2011. Bibliographic DataFirst published in 18911 volume per year, 2 issues per volume Format: 21 x 27.9 cm ISSN 1664-2201 (print) ISSN 1664-221X (electronic)
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PLANT SCIENCES
Editor-in-chief Christian ParisodPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 11%); most named Switzerland 12, Mainland China 4, Germany 4, Austria 4, France 3 (37 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science20.5%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences12.5%
- Botany and Plant Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.6%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science7.5%
- Tree-ring climate responsesEarth and Planetary Sciences6.6%
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Plant Parasitism and ResistanceAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.3%
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsEnvironmental Science4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 3.79LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.96LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.25LetPub ·
- h-index
- 23LetPub ·
- h-index
- 40OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 154OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.83OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 65.31%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 20LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 116,300Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 285 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28 | 16 | 7 |
| 2025 | 23 | 18 | 33 |
| 2024 | 18 | 14 | 155 |
| 2023 | 13 | 9 | 106 |
| 2022 | 16 | 6 | 141 |
| 2021 | 32 | 18 | 649 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
123 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 103 days – 168 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 19 days (49 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 144 days
- Sample
- 48 articles with submission and acceptance dates (52 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,390 / EUR 3,590 / GBP 2,890 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted8
- opinionAlpine Botany publishes original articles, reviews, short communications and opinion papers. Original research articles should usually not be longer than 10-12 …Length not stated
- opinion papersAlpine Botany publishes original articles, reviews, short communications and opinion papers.Length not stated
- original articleAlpine Botany publishes original articles, reviews, short communications and opinion papers. Original research articles should usually not be longer than 10-12 …Length not stated
- original research articleAlpine Botany publishes original articles, reviews, short communications and opinion papers. Original research articles should usually not be longer than 10-12 …Length not stated
- original research articlesAlpine Botany publishes original articles, reviews, short communications and opinion papers. Original research articles should usually not be longer than 10-12 …Length not stated
- reviewAlpine Botany publishes original articles, reviews, short communications and opinion papers. Original research articles should usually not be longer than 10-12 …Length not stated
- reviewsAlpine Botany publishes original articles, reviews, short communications and opinion papers.Length not stated
- short communicationAlpine Botany publishes original articles, reviews, short communications and opinion papers. Original research articles should usually not be longer than 10-12 …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Scientific authorship
Authorship declaration required for all submissions. Model summary
Authorship implies personal involvement in the design, conduct and reporting of new research. Principles of authorship are sometimes neglected, leading to questionable assignment of authorship and diminution of the credit for those who deserve authorship. Providing funds, supervising or hosting researchers, belonging to a research consortium, attending a meeting or a workshop, offering access to s…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
Competing interests disclosure required. Model summary
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for all original research. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Alpine Botany, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Country or region
- SWITZERLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 2 issues per year
- Founded
- 2005
- ISSN
- 1664-2201
- Electronic ISSN
- 1664-221X
- Society / sponsor
- Swiss Botanical Society
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 136, Issue 1 (May 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Alpine Botany
What CAS zone is Alpine Botany in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Alpine Botany is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Plant Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Alpine Botany?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.79; CiteScore 5.4, h-index 40.
How long does peer review take at Alpine Botany?
Based on the dates recorded on 48 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 123 days (interquartile range 103–168 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Alpine Botany?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Alpine Botany based?
Of the 37 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 11%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Switzerland (12), Mainland China (4) and Germany (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Alpine Botany?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Alpine Botany is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Alpine Botany open access, and what is the APC?
Alpine Botany is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,390.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .