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Stinking Iris
Iris foetidissima
51.13, 1.30832
Field Notes
Description:
It is one of two Iris species native to Britain, the other being the Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus). Its flowers are usually of a dull, leaden-blue colour, or dull buff-yellow tinged with blue; the capsules, which remain attached to the plant throughout the winter, are 5-8 cm long; and the seeds scarlet.
It is known as "stinking" because some people find the smell of its leaves unpleasant when crushed or bruised, an odour that has been described as "beefy".
Habitat:
This species of Iris is found in open woodland, hedgebanks and 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. Wikipedia
Notes:
Visited the White cliffs of Dover today and these were growing at the foot of the hill in amongst some other plants. The long, smooth leaves you can see in the photos belong to this plant. Seeds can cause skin irritations and all parts of plant are toxic - thanks to Ioannis for ID and some info!
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