Ethel Anson (Steel) Peckham (1879–1965) was an American horticulturist and botanical artist who bred plants that grow from bulbs and rhizomes such as iris and daffodil.
She was a founding member and early director of the American Iris Society (AIS), editor of its first major checklists, and author of its iris-judging rules.
[1] She took over management of the AIS's preliminary checklists and compiled and edited the monumental 1929 and 1939 lists, comprising 12,000 and 19,000 species, cultivars, and their synonyms, respectively.
[1] This was an important undertaking at the time, when irises were growing in popularity as American garden plants but their nomenclature was in disarray.
[1] She is credited with helping to develop a new class, the miniature tall bearded irises, which she appreciated for their potential as cut flowers.
[1] In 1940, Peckham became the third person to be awarded the AIS Gold Medal, and she remains one of only a dozen people ever to have received the society's highest honor.