About Iris foetidissima L.
Iris foetidissima L. has multiple common names: stinking iris, gladdon, Gladwin iris, roast-beef plant, and stinking gladwin. It is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, that grows in open woodland, hedgebanks, and on sea-cliffs. Its natural range spans Western Europe, including England (south of Durham), Ireland, and extends from France south and east to Northern Africa, Italy, and Greece. It is one of two iris species native to Britain, with the other being yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus).
It forms tufts of dark green leaves. Its flowers are typically dull leaden-blue, or dull buff-yellow with blue tints; the petals have delicate veining. It blooms between June and July, and individual flowers only last one or two days. The green seed capsules, which stay attached to the plant through the winter, are 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long, and the seeds inside are scarlet.
It earned the "stinking" common name because many people find the smell of its crushed or bruised leaves unpleasant; this odor has been described as "beefy". Its common names gladdon, gladwyn, and gladwin come from an old word for sword, derived from the Latin gladius, referencing the sword-like shape of its leaves. This plant is cultivated in gardens across temperate zones. Both the species and its cultivar 'Variegata' have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
