''Kniphofia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Asphodelaceae Asphodelaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Asparagales. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists, but the circumscription has varied widely. In its current circumscription in the APG IV system, it includes about 40 ...

, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant.

Description

Herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

species and hybrids have narrow, grass-like leaves long, while

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

species have broader, strap-shaped foliage up to long. All plants produce spikes of upright, brightly coloured flowers well above the foliage, in shades of red, orange and yellow, often bicoloured. The flowers produce copious nectar while blooming and are attractive to bees and

sunbird Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly i ...

s. In the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

, they may attract

nectarivore In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal which derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Nectar as a food source presents a number of benefits a ...

s such as

hummingbirds Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics arou ...

and

New World orioles New World orioles are a group of birds in the genus ''Icterus'' of the blackbird family. Unrelated to Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae, they are strikingly similar in size, diet, behavior, and strongly contrasting plumage. As a resu ...

Etymology

The genus ''Kniphofia'' is named after

Johann Hieronymus Kniphof Johann Hieronymus Kniphof (24 February 1704 in Erfurt – 23 January 1763) was a German physician and botanist. He studied medicine at the Universities of Jena and Erfurt, becoming a professor of medicine at the latter institution in 1737. In ...

, an 18th-century German physician and botanist.

Species

There are about 73 described species, including two hybrids.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> # ''

Kniphofia acraea ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceo ...

'' Codd - Cape Provinces of South Africa # ''

Kniphofia albescens ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceo ...

'' Codd -

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

# ''

Kniphofia albomontana ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceo ...

'' Baijnath -

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

, South Africa # ''

Kniphofia angustifolia ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceo ...

'' (Baker) Codd - KwaZulu-Natal # ''

Kniphofia ankaratrensis ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceo ...

'' Baker - Madagascar # ''

Kniphofia baurii ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceo ...

'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # ''

Kniphofia benguellensis ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceo ...

'' Welw. ex Baker -

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, Zambia # ''

Kniphofia bequaertii ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceo ...

'' De Wild. -

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda # ''

Kniphofia brachystachya ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceou ...

'' (Zahlbr.) Codd - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia breviflora'' Harv. ex Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Free State # '' Kniphofia bruceae'' (Codd) Codd - Cape Province # '' Kniphofia buchananii'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal # '' Kniphofia caulescens'' Baker - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province, Free State # '' Kniphofia citrina'' Baker - Cape Province # '' Kniphofia coddiana'' Cufod. - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province # ''

Kniphofia coralligemma ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceou ...

'' E.A.Bruce -

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

# '' Kniphofia crassifolia'' Baker - Limpopo # '' Kniphofia drepanophylla'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia dubia'' De Wild - Zaire, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola # '' Kniphofia ensifolia'' Baker - South Africa # ''Kniphofia'' × ''erythraeae'' Fiori -

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

(''K. pumila'' × ''K. schimperi'') # ''

Kniphofia evansii ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceou ...

'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal # '' Kniphofia fibrosa'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia flammula'' Codd - KwaZulu-Natal # '' Kniphofia fluviatilis'' Codd - South Africa # ''

Kniphofia foliosa ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceou ...

'' Hochst. - Ethiopia # ''

Kniphofia galpinii ''Kniphofia galpinii'', called the Galpin red-hot poker, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Kniphofia'', native to Eswatini and South Africa. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garde ...

'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, Mpumalanga # '' Kniphofia goetzei'' Engl. - Tanzania # ''

Kniphofia gracilis ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceou ...

'' Harv. ex Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia grantii'' Baker - Zaire, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Malawi # '' Kniphofia hildebrandtii'' Cufod. - Ethiopia # '' Kniphofia hirsuta'' Codd - Lesotho, Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia ichopensis'' Schinz - KwaZulu-Natal # '' Kniphofia insignis'' Rendle - Ethiopia # '' Kniphofia isoetifolia'' Hochst. - Ethiopia # ''

Kniphofia latifolia ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceou ...

'' Codd - KwaZulu-Natal # '' Kniphofia laxiflora'' Kunth - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia leucocephala'' Baijnath - KwaZulu-Natal # ''

Kniphofia linearifolia ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceou ...

'' Baker - Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa # '' Kniphofia littoralis'' Codd - KwaZulu-Natal # '' Kniphofia marungensis'' Lisowski & Wiland - Zaire # '' Kniphofia mulanjeana'' S.Blackmore -

Mt. Mulanje The Mulanje Massif, also known as Mount Mulanje, is a large inselberg in southern Malawi. Sapitwa Peak, the highest point on the massif at 3,002 m, is the highest point in Malawi. It lies 65 km east of Blantyre, rising sharply from the su ...

in Malawi # '' Kniphofia multiflora'' J.M.Wood & M.S.Evans - Eswatini, South Africa # ''

Kniphofia nana ''Kniphofia nana'' is a plant species in the family ''Asphodeloideae''. It is endemic to Zaïre (Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC ...

'' Marais - Zaire # '' Kniphofia northiae'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia nubigena'' Mildbr. - Sudan # '' Kniphofia pallidiflora'' Baker - Massif de l'

Ankaratra Ankaratra is a cinder cone volcano range located about southwest of Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. It lies between the towns of Arivonimamo to the north, Ambatolampy to the east, Faratsiho to the west and Betafo to the south. It is ...

in Madagascar # '' Kniphofia paludosa'' Engl - Elton Plateau in Tanzania # ''

Kniphofia parviflora ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbaceou ...

'' Kunth - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # ''

Kniphofia pauciflora ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the family (biology), family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native plant, native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, t ...

'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal # '' Kniphofia porphyrantha'' Baker - Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa # ''Kniphofia'' × ''praecox'' Baker - Cape Provinces (''K. bruceae'' × ''K. uvaria'') # '' Kniphofia princeae'' (A.Berger) Marais - Zaire, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi # '' Kniphofia pumila'' (Aiton) Kunth - Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea # '' Kniphofia reflexa'' Hutch. ex Codd - Nigeria, Cameroon (endangered) # '' Kniphofia reynoldsii'' Codd - Tanzania, Zambia # '' Kniphofia rigidifolia'' E.A.Bruce - Mpumalanga # '' Kniphofia ritualis'' Codd - Free State, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal # ''

Kniphofia rooperi ''Kniphofia rooperi'', Rooper’s red-hot poker, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae, native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Growing to tall, it is a robust evergreen perennial with strap-shaped leaves produced at a ...

'' (T.Moore) Lem. - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia sarmentosa'' (Andrews) Kunth - Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia schimperi'' Baker - Ethiopia, Eritrea # '' Kniphofia splendida'' E.A.Bruce - Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northeastern South Africa, Eswatini # ''

Kniphofia stricta ''Kniphofia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. Species are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant. Description Herbac ...

'' Codd - Cape Provinces, Lesotho # '' Kniphofia sumarae'' Deflers - Ibb Mountains of Yemen # '' Kniphofia tabularis'' Marloth - Cape Provinces # '' Kniphofia thodei'' Baker - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal # '' Kniphofia thomsonii'' Baker - Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia # '' Kniphofia triangularis'' Kunth - Lesotho, South Africa # '' Kniphofia typhoides'' Codd - Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Mpumalanga # '' Kniphofia tysonii'' Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces, Eswatini # ''

Kniphofia umbrina ''Kniphofia umbrina'', called the Eswati poker, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Kniphofia''. The species is native to an area near Forbes Reef in Eswatini, just to the north of Mbabane. Description Plants are herbaceous perennial ...

'' Codd - Eswatini # ''

Kniphofia uvaria ''Kniphofia uvaria'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae, also known as tritomea, torch lily, or red hot poker, due to the shape and color of its inflorescence. The leaves are reminiscent of a lily, and the flowerhead can ...

'' (L.) Oken - Cape Provinces; naturalized in Mexico, North Carolina, Spain, Oregon, Turkey, Washington State, St. Helena, California # '' Kniphofia vandeweghei'' Fischer & Ackermann - Rwanda

Cultivation

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 A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

of mixed or uncertain parentage have been selected for garden use. The following have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

:- *'Barton Fever' (orange-white, 100 cm) *'Bees' Sunset' (yellow, 90 cm) *'Brimstone' (sulphur yellow, 90 cm) *'Buttercup' (clear yellow, 75 cm) *'Coral Flame' (coral red, 90 cm) *'Fiery Fred' (orange, 130 cm) *'Incandesce' (orange, 140 cm) *'Innocence' (red-yellow, 110 cm) *'Jonathan' (red-orange, 130 cm) *'Moonstone' (yellow, 120 cm) *'Nobilis' (evergreen, orange and yellow, 150 cm+) *'Penny Rockets' (orange, 100 cm) *'Primrose Upward' (yellow, 115 cm) *'Rich Echoes' (orange-yellow, 120 cm) *'Royal Standard' (red and yellow, 90 cm) *'Safranvogel' (peach pink, 80 cm) *'Samuel's Sensation' (red-yellow, 150 cm) *'Sunningdale Yellow' (orange and yellow, 60 cm) *'Tawny King' (cream/brown, 120 cm) *'Timothy' (orange, 100 cm) *'Toffee Nosed' (cream/brown, 100 cm) *'Wrexham Buttercup' (yellow, 120 cm)

Gallery

File:London MMB «J5 Canary Wharf - Kniphofia.jpg, ''Kniphofia'' planted near

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lo ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Image:Kniphofia 'Shenandoah' Flower 2112px.jpg, ''Kniphofia'' 'Shenandoah' File:Kniphofia uvaria einzeln.JPG, ''

'' File:Wildflower Area at Baxter Creek Gateway Park.jpg, ''Kniphofia'' along the

Ohlone Greenway The Ohlone Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle path in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The path is named for the indigenous Ohlone, the first people who live in the area. Route The Greenway begins in Berkeley at the east en ...

trail in

El Cerrito, California El Cerrito (Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 census. El Cerrito was founded by refugees ...

File:Terete raceme of Kniphofia with cross section of peduncle IMG 2082a.jpg, Terete raceme of ''Kniphofia'' shown together with a cross section of a peduncle. A: Inflorescence; B: Terete peduncle; C: Cross section of a terete peduncle

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q157905 Asphodelaceae genera