Andromeda Botanic Gardens is a six acre tropical garden in the Parish of St Joseph, overlooking the scenic east coast of Barbados. This botanical garden started as a private plant collection around the home of Ms. Iris Bannochie in 1954. Andromeda was first open to the public during a fund raising event hosted by the Barbados Horticultural Society in the seventies. Andromeda was well received, and has remained open to the public by paid admission since then. Andromeda currently boast over six hundred different species of plants adapted to a range of tropical environments.
The Andromeda Botanic Garden is currently owned by the Barbados National Trust although currently leased to Caribbean Horticultural Services. The University of the West Indies (UWI), has responsibility for Research and Educational activities at Andromeda. The University's activities are funded by the Peter Moores Foundation (UK).
Andromeda is well known locally and to some extent internationally for its collection of heliconias. Heliconias belong to the order Zingiberales. Andromeda can boast to being the site of origin of the cultivar "Golden Torch" (Heliconia psittacorum x H. spathocircinata), which is extensively cultivated in Florida for the cut flower industry. The heliconia cultivar "Iris Bannochie" (Heliconia stricta) was also named after the founder of the gardens.
Copyright © 2003 Stephen Proverbs (c/o University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus). All rights reserved.
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