Edinburgh's Indian Botanical Connections and Collections

A survey is given of the many botanical links between Edinburgh and India from the mid 18th century to the start of the 20th century Attention is drawn to the important contributions made to various aspects of Indian botany by Edinburgh-trained surgeons, botanists, gardeners; also administrators and military men; there are brief life-histones of a selection of those with Edinburgh connections of one kmd or another. The importance of the rich Indian coHeetions at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh is stressed: both herbarium and bbrary-archivat resources. The second part of the paper gives an alphabetical list of all the collectors of Indian specimens, phanerogams and cryptogams, who are known to be represented in the Edinburgh herbarium.