Hugh Davies (botanist)

Hugh Davies (1739 – 16 May 1821) was a Welsh botanist and Anglican clergyman.

Davies was born in Llandygai, Caernarvonshire. He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1763. He became a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, and graduated M.A. in 1766. He was ordained deacon in 1764 and priest in 1766.

Davies held several ecclesiastical appointments, including rector of Aber, Caernarvonshire, and later, rector of Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, Denbighshire. He is primarily remembered for his botanical work, particularly his contributions to the knowledge of Welsh flora.

His most significant work is Welsh Botanology. Part I. A Systematic Catalogue of British Plants, in Latin, English, and Welsh, published in London in 1813. This was intended to be the first part of a comprehensive flora of Wales but a second volume was never completed. The book provides a detailed catalogue of plants, including their Latin, English, and Welsh names, and observations on their distribution and habitats.

Davies was a meticulous observer and a keen collector, and his herbarium, containing specimens collected throughout Wales, is now housed at the National Museum Wales, Cardiff. He corresponded with other leading botanists of his time, including James Edward Smith, the founder of the Linnean Society. He was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1790.