Kniphofia uvaria (Red hot poker)

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Kniphofia uvaria (L.) Oken

Red hot poker, torch lily, redhot poker

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Liliidae	Includes lilies, orchids, and many others
Order	Asparagales	A diverse group that includes asparagus
Family	Xanthorrhoeaceae	Aloes, many tropical plants, flax lilies, daylilies, many others
Genus	Kniphofia	Named after Johann Hieronymus Kniphof (1704-1763), a German botanist, professor of medicine and author of a work of botanical illustrations
Species	uvaria	From the Latin uva for a bunch of grapes

About plant names...

This stunning South African native is gradually becoming naturalized in California. They are members of the lily family. The genus Kniphofia is named for a German physician and botanist, Johann Hieronymus Kniphof.

Identification: Plants reach 3-4' (91-121 cm) in height, and are 24-36" (60-91 cm) around. (There are many larger and smaller cultivars as well, such as ‘Nancy’s Red’.) Leaves are long and narrow, up to 24" (60 cm) × 1" (2.5 cm), like a tuft of large grass. Large oval-shaped flowerheads form on a stalk in the center of each plant. Unbelievably cool flowerheads are composed of hundreds of tubular flowers, red on top, grading through orange to yellow on the bottom. The flowers are favorites of hummingbirds.

From Edwards's Botanical Register; Consisting of Coloured Figures of Exotic Plants Cultivated in British Gardens; with their History and Mode of Treatment. London 21: t. 1745, as Tritoma burchellii.

Online References:

Calflora

in Paghat's Garden

The Missouri Botanical Garden

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

CalPhotos

Kniphofia uvaria description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

6/1/2009 · Orderville Mine Rock Shop, Orderville, Utah
≈ 21 × 17" (53 × 42 cm)

8/27/2007 · Shore Acres State Park, Cape Arago, Oregon
≈ 15 × 10" (37 × 24 cm)

2/16/2007 · San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego, California

Range: Zones 5-10:

About this map...