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.
| Iris foetidissima | |
|---|---|
| |
| Flower | |
Scientific 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
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| Binomial name | |
| Iris foetidissima | |
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]
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
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- ^ a b c Richard Fitter, Alastair Fitter and Marjorie Blamey Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe (1996), p. 284, at Google Books
- ^ Plants For A Future: Iris foetidissima
- ^ a b Spencer-Jones, Rae; Cuttle, Sarah (2005). Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland. London: Kyle Cathie Limited. p. 88. ISBN 9781856265034.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Iris foetidissima". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Iris foetidissima 'Variegata'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 53. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
Data related to Iris foetidissima at Wikispecies
