Solved ID & is it invasive.

Hi all,
I was admiring this plant at the allotment and the lovely lady said I could take some if I like. She said it's some sort of Iris and it as tough as old boots. It was around 4ft tall. I just wondered what it was before I chance it.
Thanks in advance.

 

Looks like Iris pseudacorus.
It is very very happy if soil is damp/boggy.

 

Are you sure this is a single plant? Looks more like a heap of plant bulbs were buried there - or they multiplied over time.

I have some similar looking ones in my garden. They are docile, rarely bite and never invaded my home before... Unless you count the time my father brought them without asking us first.

 

Hi @Black Dog I can only go from what the lady said. She removed some from a dried up pond on the allotment (presuming a while ago) and put it in her border. She said it does very well there. She said I could take some as it spreads and she has had to give some away before as it's as tough as old boots. I was going to put some in my garden at home but can't make my mind up the area I have in mind isn't boggy but neither is where she has it on her plot.

 

Live and let die....
Just plant them wherever you want them. If they dry up and die - so be it.

Did the same with other plants because you NEVER know for sure if that exact spot is perfect or not until you try. Some plants are picky and other grow in places you would have never imagined.

 

That's it, they are going in

Thanks

 

I think you will find those are very different...Iris foetidissima.

 

That clump is many many Iris plants... clump has spread over a few years
When happy...in damp ground they can form huge patches.
In dry soil they are slower.
More info.
Iris pseudacorus

 

@Silver surfer thanks for this information. So if I take a clump would I be best separating each bulb and planting rather than planting in the clump.

 

I wouldn't bother with it.
The flowering period is short in my opinion.
Not tried it in dryer soil, but in my pond it took over after a couple of years.

 

If you decide to take some you would only take a few...say 6.
Keep in a clump when you replant.
In the wild in wet , boggy soil they are an invasive pest.

iris pseudacorus growing wild - Recherche Google

 

Super, thank you