Gwendoline Joyce Lewis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gwendoline Joyce Lewis
|
|
|---|---|
| Died |
Cape Town, South Africa
|
| Education | University of Cape Town Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) |
| Known for | authority on the Iridaceae |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | G.J.Lewis |
Gwendoline Joyce Lewis (born 1909, died 1967) was an important South African botanist. She studied plants and helped us learn more about them.
About Gwendoline Lewis
Gwendoline Lewis earned a special degree called a PhD from the University of Cape Town. This means she was an expert in her field.
Her Work with Plants
She spent a lot of time describing and sorting different types of plants. She was especially interested in the Iridaceae family. This family includes beautiful flowers like irises and gladioli.
Gwendoline was also a great plant collector. She gathered more than 8,000 plant samples. These samples are kept in special plant libraries called herbaria. Scientists use herbaria to study plants from all over the world.
Her Career
She worked as a botanist at the Bolus Herbarium for two years. This herbarium is part of the University of Cape Town. Later, she became the curator of the South African Museum Herbarium. A curator is like a manager who takes care of a collection.
In 1956, her herbarium moved to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. This is a famous garden in South Africa. Gwendoline then became a Research Officer there. This role meant she could focus on her plant studies. She was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa. This is a special honor for scientists.
Gwendoline Joyce Lewis passed away in Cape Town on April 11, 1967.
Plants Named After Her
Many plants were named in her honor. This shows how important her work was in botany. Some of these plants include:
- Babiana lewisiae
- Geissorhiza lewisiae
- Muraltia lewisiae
- Psilocaulon lewisiae
- Thamnochortus lewisiae
Her Books
Gwendoline Lewis also wrote important books about plants.
- In 1972, a book called Gladiolus: A Revision of the South African Species was published. She wrote this book with A. Amalia Obermeyer and T. T. Barnard. It had many color pictures drawn by Gwendoline herself.
- In 1954, she wrote Some Aspects of the Morphology, Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the South African Iridaceae. This book shared her deep knowledge about the Iridaceae plant family.
