Distinctive flowers of many different colours, irises produce a single prominent and complex flower at the top of a narrow straight stalk (and hence these flowers are occasionally called 'flags'). The leaves of the iris are thin and narrow, tapering to a sharp point to produce the 'iris-swords' encountered by Frodo and Sam as they passed through the land of Ithilien.
One particular variety of iris with rich golden flowers, known as a 'yellow flag' or simply 'yellow iris' (Iris pseudocorus), grows in particular profusion in wetlands and along streams. These yellow irises grew in abundance along the banks of the Gladden River, and from them that river took its name (glædene being the Old English word for the iris).1
Notes
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The old Anglo-Saxon name glædene has in fact survived into modern English as 'gladdon' or 'gladwin', though it is now usually used for other kinds of iris than the golden variety found along the Gladden River (especially the unfortunately named 'stinking iris' or Iris foetidissima).
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- Updated 26 July 2026
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