How do you recognise Stinking iris (Iris foetidissima)?

Leaf

Mathieu Menand, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Stinking iris

Iris foetidissima L.

Also known as: Gladwyn iris, Roast beef plant

Family: Iridaceae

30 to 60 cm tall

Woodland understorey, shady gardens, all soils

Flowering: May – July

Part shade

Shade

Hardy to -15°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Its inconspicuous flowers go unnoticed, but its capsules split open in winter to reveal spectacular bright orange seeds. Without a beard or bright colours, these two irises look alike in flower: dull blue-violet colouring, slender drooping petals. Stinking iris grows in the shade of woodland, gives off an unpleasant smell when crushed and is recognised above all in winter by its bright orange seeds in open capsules, whereas Siberian iris has narrow, upright foliage, in a sunny, damp position.

🍃 Leaves

Evergreen, fan-shaped, glossy dark green, unpleasant smell when crushed

🌸 Flowers

Inconspicuous flowers, dull blue-violet or yellowish

🍎 Fruits

Capsules splitting open to reveal very decorative bright orange seeds in winter

🪵 Bark

Dense clump, creeping rhizome

🗺️ Distribution

Western and southern Europe; found in open woods and limestone hedges, mainly in Atlantic and southern France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Inconspicuous flowers with little nectar, of lesser ecological interest than other irises.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Shady borders, woodland; grown mainly for its bright orange seeds persisting in winter in the open capsules.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Rhizome and seeds toxic if ingested; foliage gives off an unpleasant smell when crushed.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Stinking iris

Iris foetidissima

Siberian iris

Iris sibirica

Without a beard or bright colours, these two irises look alike in flower: dull blue-violet colouring, slender drooping petals. Stinking iris grows in the shade of woodland, gives off an unpleasant smell when crushed and is recognised above all in winter by its bright orange seeds in open capsules, whereas Siberian iris has narrow, upright foliage, in a sunny, damp position.

🌿 Other Iridaceae to discover

Gladiolus x hortulanus

Siberian iris

Iris sibirica

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.