Nov 15, 2003 Red-hot pokers are such excellent garden plants that it is hard to imagine they have ever been out of fashion. But they have only recently begun to emerge from the horticultural doldrums. Kniphofia: Red Hot Poker; There are 68 species in the genus Kniphofia, all originating in southern and eastern Africa. They form clumps of grass-like finely toothed foliage with strong stems rising above the foliage with flowers that look-like glowing pokers or torches, hence the common name. Flower color ranges from coral red through.
Red hot pokers | |
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Fiery colored Kniphofia | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Asphodelaceae |
Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
Genus: | Kniphofia Moench |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Kniphofia/nɪpˈhoʊfiə/,[2] also called tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily, knofflers[citation needed] or poker plant, is a genus of perennialflowering plants in the familyAsphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794.[3] It is native to Africa.
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Description[edit]
Herbaceous species and hybrids have narrow, grass-like leaves 10–100 cm (4–39 in) long, while evergreen species have broader, strap-shaped foliage up to 1.5 m (5 ft) long. All plants produce spikes of upright, brightly coloured flowers well above the foliage, in shades of red, orange and yellow, often bicoloured.[4] The flowers produce copious nectar while blooming and are attractive to bees and sunbirds. In the New World they may attract sap-suckers such as hummingbirds and New World orioles.
Etymology[edit]
The genus Kniphofia is named after Johann Hieronymus Kniphof, an 18th-century German physician and botanist.
Cultivation[edit]
Several species of Kniphofia are cultivated as garden plants, valued for their architectural properties. These include K. galpini, K. northiae, K. rooperi and K. thomsonii.
In addition to the species, many named cultivars of mixed or uncertain parentage have been selected for garden use. The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-[5]
- 'Bees' Sunset'[6] (yellow)
- 'Brimstone Bloom'[7] (sulphur yellow)
- 'Buttercup'[8] (clear yellow)
- 'Nobilis'[9] (evergreen, orange and yellow)
- 'Royal Standard'[10] (red and yellow)
- 'Samuel's Sensation'[11] (tall herbaceous variety, scarlet flowers fading to yellow at the base)
- 'Sunningdale Yellow'[12] (orange-yellow)
- 'Tawny King'[13] (cream/brown)
- 'Toffee Nosed'[14] (cream/brown)
- 'Wrexham Buttercup'[15] (yellow)
Red Hot Poker Plant Uk
Species[edit]
There are about 73 described species.[1][16]
- Kniphofia acraeaCodd - Cape Province of South Africa
- Kniphofia albescensCodd - Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia albomontanaBaijnath - Lesotho, South Africa
- Kniphofia angustifolia(Baker) Codd - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia ankaratrensisBaker - Madagascar
- Kniphofia bauriiBaker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia benguellensisWelw. ex Baker - Angola, Zambia
- Kniphofia bequaertiiDe Wild. - Zaïre, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda
- Kniphofia brachystachya(Zahlbr.) Codd - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia brevifloraHarv. ex Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Free State
- Kniphofia bruceae(Codd) Codd - Cape Province
- Kniphofia buchananiiBaker - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia caulescensBaker - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province, Free State
- Kniphofia citrinaBaker - Cape Province
- Kniphofia coddianaCufod. - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia coralligemmaE.A.Bruce - Limpopo
- Kniphofia crassifoliaBaker - Limpopo
- Kniphofia drepanophyllaBaker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia dubiaDe Wild - Zaire, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola
- Kniphofia ensifoliaBaker - South Africa
- Kniphofia × erythraeaeFiori - Eritrea (K. pumila × K. schimperi)
- Kniphofia evansiiBaker - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia fibrosaBaker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia flammulaCodd - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia fluviatilisCodd - South Africa
- Kniphofia foliosaHochst. - Ethiopia
- Kniphofia galpiniiBaker - KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Mpumalanga
- Kniphofia goetzeiEngl. - Tanzania
- Kniphofia gracilisHarv. ex Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia grantiiBaker - Zaïre, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Malawi
- Kniphofia hildebrandtiiCufod. - Ethiopia
- Kniphofia hirsutaCodd - Lesotho, Cape Province
- Kniphofia ichopensisSchinz - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia insignisRendle - Ethiopia
- Kniphofia isoetifoliaHochst. - Ethiopia
- Kniphofia latifoliaCodd - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia laxifloraKunth - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia leucocephalaBaijnath - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia linearifoliaBaker - Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa
- Kniphofia littoralisCodd - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia marungensisLisowski & Wiland - Zaïre
- Kniphofia mulanjeanaS.Blackmore - Mt. Mulanje in Malawi
- Kniphofia multifloraJ.M.Wood & M.S.Evans - Swaziland, South Africa
- Kniphofia nanaMarais - Zaïre
- Kniphofia northiaeBaker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia nubigenaMildbr. - Sudan
- Kniphofia pallidifloraBaker - Massif de l' Ankaratra in Madagascar
- Kniphofia paludosaEngl - Elton Plateau in Tanzania
- Kniphofia parvifloraKunth - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia paucifloraBaker - KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia porphyranthaBaker - Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa
- Kniphofia praecoxBaker - Cape Province
- Kniphofia princeae (A.Berger) Marais - Zaïre, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi
- Kniphofia pumila(Aiton) Kunth - Zaïre, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea
- Kniphofia reflexaHutch. ex Codd - Nigeria, Cameroon (endangered)[17]
- Kniphofia reynoldsiiCodd - Tanzania, Zambia
- Kniphofia rigidifoliaE.A.Bruce - Mpumalanga
- Kniphofia ritualisCodd - Free State, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia rooperi(T.Moore) Lem. - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
- Kniphofia sarmentosa (Andrews) Kunth - Cape Province
- Kniphofia schimperiBaker - Ethiopia, Eritrea
- Kniphofia splendidaE.A.Bruce - Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northeastern South Africa, Swaziland
- Kniphofia strictaCodd - Cape Province, Lesotho
- Kniphofia sumaraeDeflers - Ibb Mountains of Yemen
- Kniphofia tabularisMarloth - Cape Province
- Kniphofia thodeiBaker - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal
- Kniphofia thomsoniiBaker - Zaïre, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia
- Kniphofia triangularisKunth - Lesotho, South Africa
- Kniphofia typhoidesCodd - Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Mpumalanga
- Kniphofia tysoniiBaker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province, Swaziland
- Kniphofia umbrinaCodd - Swaziland
- Kniphofia uvaria(L.) Oken - Cape Province; naturalized in Mexico, North Carolina, Spain, Oregon, Turkey, Washington State, St. Helena, California
- Kniphofia vandewegheiFischer & Ackermann - Rwanda
Gallery[edit]
Yellow Kniphofia
'Shenandoah' Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia foliosa in Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
Kniphofia along the Ohlone Greenway trail in El Cerrito, California
References[edit]
- ^ abKew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
- ^Stevens, P.F., Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Asphodeloideae
- ^RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN1405332964.
- ^'AGM Plants - Ornamental'(PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 57. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Bees Sunset'. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Brimstone Bloom''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Buttercup''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Nobilis''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Royal Standard''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Samuel's Sensation''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Sunningdale Yellow''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Tawny King''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Toffee Nosed''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'RHS Plant Selector - Kniphofia 'Wrexham Buttercup''. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^'A New Species of Kniphofia from Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda'. Novataxa. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^'Kniphofia reflexa'. Redlist.org. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
External links[edit]
- Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). 'Kniphofia'. African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
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Red hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria) is an eye-catching, boldly colorful plant that's native to South Africa, and it's a gorgeous addition to any landscape. Not only are they beautiful, but red hot poker plants are exceptionally easy to grow; they're listed for growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9, though they can be hardy as far north as zone 5. They bloom intermittently from late spring to fall, and to help encourage flowering, you should deadhead your red hot pokers; otherwise, if left to go to seed, these plants will slow down their flower production.
Red Hot Poker Plant
What Are Red Hot Poker Plants?
The red hot poker plant is a showy, lovely perennial that's in the lily family. This plant's most striking characteristic is its blooms, which resemble glowing pokers or torches: towering stalks of orange, yellow, pink, red or cream-colored tubular flowers. The red hot poker flower, which typically grows to be between 3 and 4 feet tall, is truly one of the most showstopping blooms in any garden.
To care for this fire poker flower plant, you'll need to provide it with full sun and average, well-drained soil. Good drainage is essential, especially through winter, when wet soil can potentially make the roots rot. Plants should be spaced roughly 18 to 24 inches apart to allow for proper growth; these plants rarely need staking because their stalks are sturdy.
Red Hot Poker Plant Pruning
Red hot poker blossoms open from bottom to top over the course of several days, changing color as they mature; however, to ensure that your plant produces as many long-lasting blooms as possible, it's important to cut off old blooms to make room for new growth (this process is referred to as 'deadheading').
Deadheading refreshes a plant's appearance and helps to redirect the plant's energy towards root and vegetative growth; the best time to deadhead a flower is when its appearance begins to decline. Red hot poker flower spikes will begin to bloom in the springtime. As old flowers fade, remove them by cutting at the base of the stem, to promote continuous growth through the fall.
In colder climates, you can leave the old foliage on the plant to protect the crown over winter; then, you can tidy the plants in spring by pulling away dead and damaged leaves at the base. Leaving the foliage on the plant will allow the leaves to gather sunlight and create food through photosynthesis. In milder climates, you can cut or pull out any poor-looking leaves in fall; new leaves will replace them by springtime.
Tips for Caring for Red Hot Pokers
To ensure that your red hot poker plant produces bountiful, healthy blooms, follow these tried-and-true tips for caring for your plant:
- Use a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch (like shredded bark); this will help maintain soil moisture and prevent weed growth.
- Red hot poker plants don't grow well in poorly drained soil that stays soggy after it rains or watering; using the proper soil is one of the most important components of their care. Soil can be allowed to dry out in the fall and winter.
- During hot summers, red hot pokers need 1 inch of water per week; otherwise, flowering will decrease. These plants require adequate moisture when blooms are forming.
- In terms of fertilizing, you should amend the soil at planting with a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost, and then apply an organic fertilizer every spring afterward.
- In warm areas, in late fall, you can tie the leaves of your red poker plant into a canopy over the crown; this will help prevent water from building up in the center of the plant during winter.
References (3)
About the Author
Justine Harrington is based in Austin, where she writes about current trends in health, wellness, community, gardening and sustainability. Her work has been published in Forbes, USA Today, Fodor's, Marriott Traveler, SAS Airlines, the Austin American-Statesman, Austin Monthly, and dozens of other print and online publications.
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