Iris Bannochie

Iris Bannochie (Iris Bayley), a Barbadian horticulturist who lived from 1914 to 1988, was the foremost authority on horticulture on the island of Barbados.

Scientist Iris Bayley, who learned science on her own, produced the authoritative account of the unique embryology of the whistling frog, which lacks a tadpole stage. Many severely ill children were being treated by Harry Bayley at his hospital, and he found that in many of these cases, "the kid had acquired a cold and was given Bush Tea to make them better." Iris was sent to Barbados to look into Bush Teas. Her work is still often cited. It revealed that the majority of "Barbados Bush Teas" were extremely poisonous and might kill kids. She also released studies on the Barbadian cherry's vitamin C concentration. She was a founder member of the Barbados National Trust, chairman of the Parks and Beaches Commission (and its successor, the National Conservation Commission), as well as the longtime president of both the Barbados Orchid Circle and the Barbados Horticultural Society (BHS). She spent her time traveling the globe gathering rare and exquisite plants, and she led the BHS to several gold and silver medals at the International Flower and Orchid Show and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. She received the Veitch Memorial Medal in 1977 from the Royal Horticultural Society in recognition of her work in tropical gardening.