Iris spuria

Iris spuria is toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The reported severity is mild. Also known as Blue Iris and Turkish Iris.

dogs cats horses

Mild Moderate Severe Critical

If your animal ate this plant, call your veterinarian now, or one of these services.

What do I do right now?
  • Australia
    Animal Poisons Helpline 1300 869 738 24 hours, every day · From $75
  • Austria
    Vergiftungsinformationszentrale 01 406 43 43 24 hours, every day
  • Belgium
    Centre Antipoisons 070 245 245 08:00 to 22:00 on weekdays, 10:00 to 22:00 at weekends · Human calls come first. The centre has no funding for animal work.
  • Canada
    Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 24 hours, every day · $89 for each incident
  • France
    Centre National d'Informations Toxicologiques Vétérinaires 04 78 87 10 40 08:30 to midnight, every day
  • Germany
    Giftinformationszentrum Bonn 0228 19240 24 hours, every day · Germany has no dedicated animal service. Human calls come first, so an animal call can wait.
  • Ireland

    Ireland has no animal poison service for owners. Call your veterinarian. An Irish veterinarian can consult the Veterinary Poisons Information Service in the United Kingdom.

  • Italy
    Centro Antiveleni di Milano 02 6610 1029 24 hours, every day
  • Netherlands
    Nationaal Vergiftigingen Informatie Centrum 088 755 8000 Veterinarians only 24 hours, every day · Call your veterinarian. Your veterinarian calls this line.
  • New Zealand
    Animal Poisons Helpline 0800 869 738 24 hours, every day
  • Sweden

    Giftinformationscentralen stopped answering questions about animals on 1 July 2018. Call your veterinarian or an animal hospital.

  • Switzerland
    Tox Info Suisse 145 24 hours, every day · From outside Switzerland, call +41 44 251 51 51.
  • United Kingdom
    Animal PoisonLine 01202 509 000 24 hours, every day · £35 from 08:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday, £45 at other times
    Veterinary Poisons Information Service 020 7305 5055 Veterinarians only 24 hours, every day · A members only service. Your veterinarian calls this line.
  • United States
    ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435 24 hours, every day · A consultation fee applies
    Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 24 hours, every day · $89 for each incident

Symptoms to watch for

Drooling Vomiting Lethargy Diarrhea

The color of each symptom follows the severity scale above.

About

Iris spuria, or blue flag, is a species of the genus Iris, part of the subgenus Limniris and the series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from Europe, Asia and Africa. It has purple or lilac flowers, and slender, elongated leaves. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions and hybridized for use in the garden. It has several subspecies; Iris spuria subsp. carthaliniae B.Mathew, Iris spuria subsp. demetrii B.Mathew, Iris spuria subsp. maritima (Dykes) P.Fourn. and Iris spuria subsp. musulmanica (Fomin) Takht. It used to have 3 other subspecies, which have now been re-classified as separate species; Iris spuria subsp. halophila, Iris spuria ssp. sogdiana and Iris spuria subsp. notha . It has many common names including 'blue iris', 'spurious iris' and 'bastard iris'.

How this plant poisons

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and can cause stomach pains and vomiting if mistakenly ingested. Handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.

Common Names

  • Blue Iris
  • Turkish Iris

Also recorded as Butterfly Iris, Seashore iris and wild iris.

Facts

Family
Iridaceae
Duration
Perennial
Growth habit
Forb/herb
In the wild
FR, SE, DK, ES, AT, DE + more
Source
Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Countries with the most wild observations, from GBIF data.