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Orris Root (Iris florentina) - $7 (somerset co. somerville)
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Family: Iris (Iridaceae)
Hardy to Zones 4 to 9
(Iris germanica florentina, White Flower De Luce) Perennial light lavender flowered iris native to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, introduced to the countries of the Mediterranean basin, especially Italy, during antiquity. The plant is the source of the expensive, violet-scented “oil of orris,” made with the peeled, dried and cured rhizome of the plant. This essential oil is widely used in aromatherapy. The dried rhizome is also used in low-dose traditional herbal medicine (TWM): gentle pain reliever, teething. Plants prefer a sunny exposure, regular garden soil, and occasional watering. They are very tough on the landscape, I have seen them thrive in patches even when neglected, and I have seen them growing near a dry arroyo in Arizona, hardly a place one would expect to encounter a rare iris! Space 1 to 2 feet apart.