fetid

Iris foetidissima has put out its first flower today. I bought a bunch of these to plant under the redbud tree, since they are supposed to do well in dry shade. They are said to be very drought tolerant, and hardy in my climate. They languished that first year, and one of them died. I watered them more, and the second year, they seemed to be exactly the same size, about 4 inches tall. I moved the survivors to a pot, which helped somewhat, and they grew to a foot tall. Last year I planted them in the shady north side of the house, with little competition from tree roots. It is irrigated regularly. Now they are much happier. Only one flower this year, but I'm not too disappointed. Maybe I'll get more plants when I get to California.

Iris foetidissima is not known to have a beautiful flower. When I first saw my plant in bloom, I thought that I had missed the bloom and that what I saw was the brown remnants. Upon closer inspection, I suppose it has its attractions, but no one would ever get very excited about it. I first saw this species in bloom at the University of California, Riverside botanic garden, and although I, as most people was attracted first to its blazing red fall seeds, the flowers the following spring (although subtle), were an attractive yellow and violet. My plant doesn't have flowers as attractive.

By the way, the common names for this iris are the "stinking iris" or the "Roast Beef plant", and the botanical name also suggests the supposedly foul stench the leaves give off when bruised. I haven't the heart to bruise the leaves, but I have not noticed any foul odors emanating from this plant.