IRIS

There are only two species of iris native to the UK and we have them both growing in the reserve: Iris pseudacorus and Iris foetidissima.

Iris pseudacorus is commonly, almost universally, called yellow flag iris. It likes its feet in water. Any kind of water will do: canals, rivers, acidic marshes, anoxic pools or ornamental garden ponds will all happily house a fringe of dramatic yellow flags. It grows around the reserve’s ponds and along the banks of Lambrok Stream and its tributary. It is just now in flower and well worth a look.

Iris foetidissima, on the other hand, has a range of common names (stinking iris, gladdon, gladwin iris, roast-beef plant, or stinking gladwin) most of them reflections of the specific epithet foetidissima, which means ‘smelliest’ in Latin. The crushed leaves have a strange meaty smell which some people find very unpleasant.

Stinking iris likes open woodland, banks and cliffs and in the reserve it grows in our woods. It is quite well established among the trees at the top of Village Green and has spread to the strip of woodland at the bottom of the field, alongside the stream. It flowers later than the flag iris, in June and July, with a lot less drama.