Iris foetidissima
Flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Limniris
Section: Iris sect. Limniris
Series: Iris ser. Foetidissimae
Species:
I. foetidissima
Binomial name
Iris foetidissima

Iris foetidissima, the stinking iris,[1] gladdon, Gladwin iris, roast-beef plant, or stinking gladwin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, found in open woodland, hedgebanks and on sea-cliffs.

Its natural range is Western Europe, including England (south of Durham) and also Ireland, and from France south and east to N. Africa, Italy and Greece.[2]

Seeds

It is one of two iris species native to Britain, the other being the yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus).

It has tufts of dark green leaves.[1] Its flowers are usually of a dull, leaden-blue colour, or dull buff-yellow tinged with blue. The petals have delicate veining. It blooms between June and July, but the flowers only last a day or so.[3] The green seed capsules, which remain attached to the plant throughout the winter, are 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long; and the seeds are scarlet.

It is known as "stinking" because some people find the smell of its leaves unpleasant when crushed or bruised,[1] an odour that has been described as "beefy". Its common names of 'gladdon' and 'gladwyn' or 'gladwin', are in reference to an old word for a sword, (Latin 'gladius') due to the shape of the irises leaves.[3]

This plant is cultivated in gardens in the temperate zones. Both the species[4] and its cultivar 'Variegata'[5] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[6]

Notes and references

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iris foetidissima.
  1. 1 2 3 Richard Fitter, Alastair Fitter and Marjorie Blamey Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe (1996), p. 284, at Google Books
  2. ↑ Plants For A Future: Iris foetidissima
  3. 1 2 Spencer-Jones, Rae; Cuttle, Sarah (2005). Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland. London: Kyle Cathie Limited. p. 88. ISBN 9781856265034.
  4. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Iris foetidissima". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  5. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Iris foetidissima 'Variegata'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  6. ↑ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 53. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
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