James Smith (Scottish botanist)

Not to be confused with James Edward Smith (botanist).
Portrait of James Smith, artist and date unknown

James Smith (1760 – 1 January 1848) of Monkwood Grove was a Scottish botanist and nurseryman. He founded the Monkwood Botanic Garden in Maybole Parish which included several thousand species of exotic and native British plants. A regular consultant of his English contemporaries, he is credited with the discovery of Primula scotica, Salix caprea pendula and several other species of plants native to Scotland. Owing to this particular interest in the flora of Scotland, Smith has been described as the "father of Scottish botany."[1]

  1. ^ Morton, A. J. (1 January 2010). "James Smith - Scotland's "Veteran Botanist"". Irvine Times.