{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Speciesbox | image = Iris pallida specie.jpg | image_caption = | genus = Iris | display_parents = 2 | parent = Iris sect. Iris | species = pallida | authority = Lam. | synonyms = {{Species list |Iris × australis var. mandraliscae |(Tod.) Nyman |Iris × australis var. tinaei |(Tod.) Nyman |Iris desertorum |Balb. [Illegitimate] |Iris fulgida |Berg |Iris × germanica subsp. pallida |(Lam.) O.Bolòs & Vigo |Iris glauca |Salisb. |Iris gloriosa |Reider ex Berg |Iris hortensis |Tausch |Iris mandraliscae |Tod. |Iris marchesettii |Pamp. |Iris moggridgei |Baker |Iris odoratissima |Jacq. |Iris pallida subsp. mandraliscae |(Tod.) K.Richt. |Iris pallida var. odoratissima |(Jacq.) Nyman |Iris pallida subsp. pallida | (unknown) |Iris pallida var. rosea |Prodán |Iris pallida subsp. sicula |(Tod.) K.Richt. |Iris pallida subsp. tinaei |(Tod.) K.Richt. |Iris pallidecaerulaea |Pers. |Iris picta |Spreng. [Illegitimate] |Iris plicata |Lam. |Iris propendens |Lange |Iris sicula |Tod. |Iris swertii |Lam. |Iris tinaei |Tod.}} |synonyms_ref = <ref name=plantlist>{{cite web |title=Iris pallida Lam. is an accepted name |date= 23 March 2013 |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-322201 |publisher=theplantlist.org (The Plant List)|access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref> }}
'''''Iris pallida''''', the '''Dalmatian iris''' or '''sweet iris''', is a hardy flowering perennial plant of the genus ''Iris'', family Iridaceae. It is native to the Dalmatian coast (Croatia) but widely naturalised elsewhere. It is a member of the subgenus ''Iris'', meaning that it is a bearded iris, and grows from a rhizome. It adapts well to different environments and is used in many different ways.
==Description== This iris prefers rocky places in the Mediterranean and Submediterranean zone and reaches sometimes montane regions at its southern range in Montenegro. It grows to a stem height of {{convert|50|-|80|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The leaves are bluish-green in color, and sword-shaped, {{convert|40|-|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, and {{convert|2.5|-|3|cm|in|abbr=on}} in width. The inflorescence, produced in May/June, is fan-shaped and contains two or three flowers which are usually pale purplish to whitish.
==Cultivation== ''Iris pallida'' is cultivated in the Chianti region of Italy for their fragrance and medicinal properties.<ref name=":022">{{Cite journal |title=European Journal of Horticultural Science |url=https://www.pubhort.org/ejhs/85/2/4/index.htm |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=www.pubhort.org |doi=10.17660/ejhs.2020/85.2.4|s2cid=218926423 |doi-access=free }}</ref> It is grown as a garden plant, and commercially for extraction of essential oils from its rhizome (orris root) which was historically used for medicinal purposes. Orris oil is used to add flavor and scent to foods, gins, and perfumes <ref name=":0"/>
The species' successful cultivation is partly due to its ability to thrive in different environments, including different climates and nutrient-poor soils. ''Iris pallida'' growth and flowering differ in different temperatures.<ref name=":022"/> Iris pallida flowers last longer than other Iris species, but take longer to develop, especially in colder climates.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=CRIȘAN |first1=IOANA |last2=Stoie |first2=Andrei |last3=Buta |first3=Erzsebet |last4=Cantor |first4=Maria |date=August 25, 2017 |title=Flowering phenology of some Iris species in the UASVM Cluj agrobotanical garden |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327263160 |journal=Romanian Biotechnological Letters |volume=23 |issue=3}}</ref>
The variegated cultivar 'Variegata' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.<ref name = RHSPF>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/95370/i-Iris-pallida-i-Lam-Variegata-Hort-(v)/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Iris pallida'' Lam. 'Variegata' Hort. | access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 55 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 14 March 2018}}</ref>
== Uses == For hundreds of years, ''Iris pallida'' was used medicinally.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Ioana |first1=Crișan |last2=Cantor|first2=Maria |date=2016 |title=New perspectives on medicinal properties and uses of Iris sp. |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322937447 |journal=Hop and Medicinal Plants |issue=1–2 |pages=24–36}}</ref> It is used today to flavor foods and drinks as well as for perfumes or air fresheners, which dates back to the 15th century when orris was used to impart fresh scents on linens.<ref name=":0" /> The plant's rhizomes are also used to make beads for children's teething necklaces as well as rosary beads.<ref name=":0" />
==Subspecies== Three subspecies of ''Iris pallida'' s.l. are recognised by some authors as species: ''Iris pallida'' subsp. ''cengialti'',<ref name=plantlist/> (with deep purplish flowers) from Slovenia and adjacent Italy, ''Iris pallida'' ssp. ''illyrica'',<ref name=plantlist/> from the North Dalmatian coast, and ''Iris pallida'' ssp. ''pseudopallida'' from the South Dalmatian coast.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://hirc.botanic.hr/fcd/DetaljiFrame.aspx?IdVrste=5426 ''Iris pallida''] Flora Croatica Database
{{Iris subg. Iris}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q161347}}
pallida Category:Endemic flora of Croatia Category:Garden plants of Europe Category:Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Category:Plants described in 1789
{{Iridaceae-stub}}