Iris foetidissima

18 Jan

Iris foetidissima berries (17/01/2011, London)

Position: Full sun to full shade

Soil: Moist, well drained

Flowering period: Late spring to early summer

Eventual Height: 1m

Eventual Spread: 50cm

Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a

Family: Iridaceae

Iris foetidissima is an evergreen, clump forming herbaceous perennial. Its dark green leaves are glossy. Its flowers are purple-grey with a yellow tint and can be dull in colour. These are followed in the autumn by disproportionately large seed pods which burst open to reveal brilliant orange, sometimes red, seeds. They will cling to the pods throughout the winter months until spring. The seeds are mostly ignored by birds despite this plant being native. Primarily spreads by rhizomes but will self seed with slow to germinate seedlings near or bordering the original plant.

Iris foetidissima (17/01/2011, London)

Iris foetidissima, commonly known as the Stinking Iris, Roast Beef Plant, Gladdon, Gladwin Iris, Stinking Gladdon, is native to western Europe (including the UK) and north Africa. The common name Stinking Iris refers to the scent of the crushed leaves. The plant has commonly been referred to in historical herbals. The seeds are not edible for humans and ingestion may cause severe discomfort.

The etymological root of the binomial name Iris is derived from the Greek iris, meaning ‘rainbow’, presumably in reference to the many colours of the flowers. Foetidissima, derived from Latin meaning ‘most fetid’, is given to the plant due to the scent of the crushed leaves.

The landscape architect may find Iris foetidissima useful as a robust, native, low growing, evergreen plant, particularly in shady locations. It is also useful in wildlife gardens. Once established this plant is drought tolerant.