The historiography of Dubrovnik's natural history is an insufficiently researched topic, especially in the field of botanical research. The long tradition of knowledge of valuable medicinal plants, which was nurtured during the entire duration of the Republic, especially under the auspices of the pharmacy of the Little Friars monastery, took on formal characteristics during the 18th, and especially the 19th century when botany became enthroned as a scientific discipline at universities across Europe, where prominent Dubrovnik naturalists studied. In this paper, the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century in Dubrovnik is particularly apostrophized, when, in the atmosphere of European heritage, the Dubrovnik area was the subject of research too, not only by Austrian but also prominent Croatian botanists. This paper presents the cultural and social context responsible for the popularization of botany as a discipline in the area of Dubrovnik during the period in question. The basis of the research are presentations of professional biographies and scientific, professional and social contributions of five prominent Dubrovnik naturalists - Ivan E. Kuzmić, Antun Drobac, Mato Vodopić, Ivan August Kaznačić and Lujo Adamović. The final goal of the research is to contribute to a stronger reaffirmation of their individual contributions to the development of the botanical science of Dalmatia, Croatia and the wider Southeast Europe, within the framework of consideration and research of the history of the botany of the Dubrovnik region.