David Bowman (3 September 1838 – 25 June 1868) was a British plant collector who, in 1866, was sent by James Veitch & Sons to collect in Brazil.
[1] In 1866, he was recruited by James Veitch & Sons of Chelsea, who, in a joint venture with William Wilson Saunders,[2] sent him to Brazil to search for orchids and other plants.
[1] He also found two orchids, Odontoglossum crispum 'Alexandrae' and Cyanophyllum bowmanii, which was later awarded a first-class certificate by the RHS's Floral Committee.
[3] As well as sending back plants for Veitch, he also obtained material for private collectors in England and for the Royal Horticultural Society.
He was preparing to ship a large collection to England from La Paz when he was attacked, losing most of his finds and as a result was instructed by James Veitch, Jr. to remain in Colombia in order to re-trace his steps.