Wikimedia Commons
Asphodelaceae
Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia uvaria
Boldness, fiery passion, vertical drama.
- Family
- Asphodelaceae
- Genus
- Kniphofia
- Native to
- South Africa
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- Perennial
- Height
- 60–150 cm (2–5 ft)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 5–9
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Each torch-shaped flower spike opens from the bottom up, with the lower flowers fading to yellow while the upper buds remain red—giving the iconic 'hot poker' two-tone effect.
- Also called 'tritoma' or 'torch lily,' kniphofias are pollinated in their native South Africa by sunbirds whose long curved bills perfectly match the tubular flowers.
- When grown outside Africa, they trigger a peculiar behavior in hummingbirds and orioles, who treat them as urgently as if they'd discovered a hidden cache of jewels.
- Gertrude Jekyll loved kniphofias and used them in her famous color-themed borders at Munstead Wood, especially as exclamation points in her hot orange-and-red beds.
- There are around 70 wild Kniphofia species, most found in southern African mountains—several were brought back to Europe by Boer trekkers and 19th-century plant hunters.
Color meanings
0
boldness
1
passion
2
dramatic flair