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Scottish Plant Hunters
Introduction
It has long been recognised that Scots have occupied many important places in the gardening world. It may not be so well known that, in proportion to population, Scots and those of Scottish descent have occupied an extraordinarily large place in horticulture throughout the world. Many have helped in the collection and introduction of new genera and species of plants and others by providing opportunities and encouragement for collection.
In this section of the SRGC website, we list some of these important Scots. Some of whom have been honoured by having plants called after them, with an example in each case. Behind the words “Plant Hunter” lie a tale of vast labour frequently in extremely difficult and hazardous conditions.
Some folks, such as David Douglas, Francis Masson and David Nelson sacrificed their lives in search of new plants.
This list is not complete but should give some indication of the important part played by Scots in this field. It is also a broad list. It includes not only the classic plant hunters who travelled the world to introduce plants, but also those who whilst not travelling have widened the range of plants available to gardeners by their efforts elsewhere.
Details of other persons with links to Scotland who have made their mark on both the SRGC and plants in our gardens are described in our separate "Scottish Plantspeople" pages.
We welcome comments, corrections and additions to the information on these pages - we especially welcome information on other Scots to make these pages as complete a list as possible.
[These pages and text were initiated and based on 'The Scottish Contribution to Plant Introduction' by Angus. C. Small which was originally published in the SRGC Journal No. 70] |
