Iris pallida
| Iris pallida | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Iris pallida (common name: dalmation iris)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed should be sown as early in the year as possible in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first year. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division, best done after flowering, though it can be done at almost any time. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cultivation: Requires a sunny position and a well-drained soil containing lime[1]. Easily cultivated in a sunny position in ordinary garden soil[2]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7.5 or higher[3]. Established plants are drought tolerant[4].
Cultivated, especially in Italy, for the essential oil in its root[5].
The flowers are sweetly scented, reminding some people of orange blossom, others of vanilla and others of civet[6].
A very vigorous species[1]. The rhizome should be planted partly above the soil[7].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[8].
Range: Europe - S. Tyrol from Yugoslavia to the Adriatic.
Habitat: Rocky places[9] in limestone hillsides and the sides of gorges[2].
Edibility: The root can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a food flavouring[10][11]. The root may take several years of drying to develop its full fragrance[12].
'Orris oil' is an essential oil derived from the dried root, it is used as a flavouring in soft drinks, sweets, chewing gum etc[13].
Medicinal: Cathartic[5]. The juice of the fresh root is a strong purge of great efficiency in the treatment of dropsy[5].
Usage: The root is a source of Orris powder which has the scent of violets[14]. It is obtained by grinding up the dried root[5][15][10]. It is much used as a fixative in perfumery and pot-pourri, as an ingredient of toothpastes, breath fresheners etc and as a food flavouring. The root can take several years of drying to fully develop its fragrance, when fresh it has an acrid flavour and almost no smell[5][12]. An essential oil is obtained from the fresh root, this has the same uses as the root[16][17].
The juice of the root is sometimes used as a cosmetic and also for the removal of freckles from the skin[5].
A black dye is obtained from the root[12].
A blue dye is obtained from the flowers[12].
Plants can be grown for ground cover, the dense mat of roots excluding all weeds[18].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Many plants in this genus are thought to be poisonous if ingested, so caution is advised[19]. The roots are especially likely to be toxic[14].
Plants can cause skin irritations and allergies in some people[14].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chatto, Beth. The Damp Garden. Dent, 1982.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press, 1980.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.