Iris foetidissima L.

Stinking iris (en), Glaïeul puant (fr), Iris fétide (fr), Iris gigot (fr), Iris puant (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Iridaceae > Iris

Characteristics

Small tufts to a large clumps with rather drab flowers. Rhizome to 1.5 cm diam., red-brown. Leaves leathery, = or slightly > stem, 1.5-2.5 cm wide, with unpleasant smell if bruised. Stems 60-80 cm high. Scapes 2-4-flowered, unbranched; spathe-valves green with membranous margins. Flowers to 10 cm diam., usually dull yellow with greenish-brown markings, more rarely dull brownish-purple; pedicel c. 4. times > ovary; tube c. ½ length of ovary; outer segments c. 5 × 1.5 cm, lanceolate, gradually narrowed to base; inner segments < outer but > style-branches, claw very narrow, limb spathulate. Style-branches brownish-yellow, c. 1 cm wide, spathulate, lobes of crest rounded. Capsule c. 6 cm long, more narrowed at base than at apex, persistent when dry, with each locule opening and twisting, exposing 2 rows of large, scarlet, rounded seeds, 5 × 5 mm, remaining firmly attached.
More
Evergreen herb. Rhizome 1-1.5 cm diam. Basal leaves ensiform, 30-70 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, malodorous when bruised. Scape 30-90 cm tall, unbranched, with 2 or 3 reduced leaves and 2-4, 2-or 3-flowered rhipidia. Spathes lanceolate, c. 6 cm long, herbaceous. Flowers dull purple-grey to brownish yellow, dark-veined; pedicels 2-7 cm long. Perianth tube c. 1 cm long. Sepals 4.5 cm long, c. 1.5 cm wide, recurved, obovate, emarginate. Petals erect, oblanceolate, 4 cm long. Anthers c. 16 mm long, exceeding stigmas. Style branches spathulate, 3 cm long; crests obtuse. Capsule obovoid, acute, c. 6 cm long. Seeds globose, 5 mm diam., smooth, bright red, persistent on valves of dehisced capsule.
A perennial plant. It has fleshy stems. It grows 45-60 cm high and 30-60 cm across. The leaves are dark green. They have a distinctive smell when crushed. The leaves are sword shaped and pointed. The flowers are small and purplish-brown. They are 5-7 cm long. They are on a flattened stem with 2-3 short branches. The fruit are pods which split open to reveal orange seeds.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread endozoochory
Mature width (meter) 0.8 - 1.0
Mature height (meter) 0.5 - 0.9
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It grows in woods and hedgerows. It suits hardiness zones 7-10.
More
Open woods, hedgebanks and shady places, usually on calcareous soils. It is often also found on sea cliffs.
Light 3-8
Soil humidity 3-8
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 3-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 6-9

Usage

The starch of the root is a famine food used for extending bread flour, after removal of the bitter element. CAUTION:
Uses environmental use medicinal poison
Edible -
Therapeutic use Anodyne (unspecified), Cancer(Gum) (unspecified), Cathartic (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Hysteria (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Purgative (unspecified), Ringworm (unspecified), Spasm (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Apertif (unspecified)
Human toxicity toxic (leaf)
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings. Seeds needs stratification.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 545
Germination temperacture (C°) 16 - 21
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment stratification
Minimum temperature (C°) -23
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Iris foetidissima habit picture by thsnielsen (cc-by-sa)
Iris foetidissima habit picture by Emma Franklin (cc-by-sa)
Iris foetidissima habit picture by David Hocken (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Iris foetidissima leaf picture by Pierre Vinchelin (cc-by-sa)
Iris foetidissima leaf picture by Emma Franklin (cc-by-sa)
Iris foetidissima leaf picture by David Hocken (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Iris foetidissima flower picture by Baptiste Cordier (cc-by-sa)
Iris foetidissima flower picture by Ashleigh Wiley (cc-by-sa)
Iris foetidissima flower picture by Dhervé Dominique (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Iris foetidissima fruit picture by Nicolas Clet (cc-by-sa)
Iris foetidissima fruit picture by Juan Ignacio Rovira (cc-by-sa)
Iris foetidissima fruit picture by James Ascroft-Leigh (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Iris foetidissima world distribution map, present in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Algeria, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tunisia, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:438606-1
WFO ID wfo-0000783342
COL ID 3PZPD
BDTFX ID 35917
INPN ID 103734
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Xiphion foetidissimum Iris foetida Iris foetida Xyridion foetidissimum Chamaeiris foetida Spathula foetidissima Chamaeiris foetidissima Iris foetidissima var. lutescens Iris foetidissima var. livida Iris foetidissima