Gwendoline Joyce Lewis

Gwendoline Joyce Lewis (1909–1967) was a South African botanist.

Life She graduated from the University of Cape Town, with a PhD. She was active in the description and classification of species of the family of the Iridaceae. She was an accomplished plant collector and added over 8000 plant specimens to herbaria. She was botanist at the Bolus Herbarium of the University of Cape Town for 2 years and then was appointed curator of the South African Museum Herbarium. In 1956 this herbarium and its staff moved to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

The following plants were named after her: Geissorhiza lewisiae Forester; Muraltia lewisiae Levyns; Psilocaulon lewisiae Lbol and Thamnochortus lewisiae Pillans.

Works

Books Gwendoline J. Lewis, A. Amalia Obermeyer, T. T. Barnard (1972). Gladiolus: A Revision of the South African Species. Purnell. 316 pp. colour illustrations by Gwendoline Joyce Lewis. (published posthumously) Gwendoline J. Lewis. 1954. Some Aspects of the Morphology, Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the South African Iridaceae. Volume 40, Splits 2 of Annals. Edition reimpresa of Ann. of the South African Museum, 99 pp.