Kniphofia (/nɪpˈhfiə/,[2] /nɪˈffiə/[3]) is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794.[4] All species of Kniphofia are native to Africa. Common names include tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily and poker plant.

Kniphofia
Kniphofia uvaria
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Genus: Kniphofia
Moench
Synonyms[1]
  • Tritoma Ker Gawl.
  • Triocles Salisb.
  • Tritomanthe Link
  • Tritomium Link
  • Rudolpho-roemeria Steud. ex Hochst.
  • Triclissa Salisb.
  • Notosceptrum Benth.

Description

edit

The genus has herbaceous and evergreen species. The 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.[5] The flowers produce copious nectar while blooming and are attractive to bees and sunbirds. In the New World, they may attract nectarivores 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.

Species

edit

There are about 73 described species, including two hybrids.[1][6]

  1. Kniphofia acraea Codd - Cape Provinces of South Africa
  2. Kniphofia albescens Codd - Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal
  3. Kniphofia albomontana Baijnath - Lesotho, South Africa
  4. Kniphofia angustifolia (Baker) Codd - KwaZulu-Natal
  5. Kniphofia ankaratrensis Baker - Madagascar
  6. Kniphofia baurii Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  7. Kniphofia benguellensis Welw. ex Baker - Angola, Zambia
  8. Kniphofia bequaertii De Wild. - Zaire, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda
  9. Kniphofia brachystachya (Zahlbr.) Codd - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  10. Kniphofia breviflora Harv. ex Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Free State
  11. Kniphofia bruceae (Codd) Codd - Cape Province
  12. Kniphofia buchananii Baker - KwaZulu-Natal
  13. Kniphofia caulescens Baker - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province, Free State
  14. Kniphofia citrina Baker - Cape Province
  15. Kniphofia coddiana Cufod. - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province
  16. Kniphofia coralligemma E.A.Bruce - Limpopo
  17. Kniphofia crassifolia Baker - Limpopo
  18. Kniphofia drepanophylla Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  19. Kniphofia dubia De Wild - Zaire, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola
  20. Kniphofia ensifolia Baker - South Africa
  21. Kniphofia × erythraeae Fiori - Eritrea (K. pumila × K. schimperi)
  22. Kniphofia evansii Baker - KwaZulu-Natal
  23. Kniphofia fibrosa Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  24. Kniphofia flammula Codd - KwaZulu-Natal
  25. Kniphofia fluviatilis Codd - South Africa
  26. Kniphofia foliosa Hochst. - Ethiopia
  27. Kniphofia galpinii Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, Mpumalanga
  28. Kniphofia goetzei Engl. - Tanzania
  29. Kniphofia gracilis Harv. ex Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  30. Kniphofia grantii Baker - Zaire, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Malawi
  31. Kniphofia hildebrandtii Cufod. - Ethiopia
  32. Kniphofia hirsuta Codd - Lesotho, Cape Provinces
  33. Kniphofia ichopensis Schinz - KwaZulu-Natal
  34. Kniphofia insignis Rendle - Ethiopia
  35. Kniphofia isoetifolia Hochst. - Ethiopia
  36. Kniphofia latifolia Codd - KwaZulu-Natal
  37. Kniphofia laxiflora Kunth - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  38. Kniphofia leucocephala Baijnath - KwaZulu-Natal
  39. Kniphofia linearifolia Baker - Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa
  40. Kniphofia littoralis Codd - KwaZulu-Natal
  41. Kniphofia marungensis Lisowski & Wiland - Zaire
  42. Kniphofia mulanjeana S.Blackmore - Mt. Mulanje in Malawi
  43. Kniphofia multiflora J.M.Wood & M.S.Evans - Eswatini, South Africa
  44. Kniphofia nana Marais - Zaire
  45. Kniphofia northiae Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  46. Kniphofia nubigena Mildbr. - Sudan
  47. Kniphofia pallidiflora Baker - Massif de l' Ankaratra in Madagascar
  48. Kniphofia paludosa Engl - Elton Plateau in Tanzania
  49. Kniphofia parviflora Kunth - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  50. Kniphofia pauciflora Baker - KwaZulu-Natal
  51. Kniphofia porphyrantha Baker - Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa
  52. Kniphofia × praecox Baker - Cape Provinces (K. bruceae × K. uvaria)
  53. Kniphofia princeae (A.Berger) Marais - Zaire, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi
  54. Kniphofia pumila (Aiton) Kunth - Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea
  55. Kniphofia reflexa Hutch. ex Codd - Nigeria, Cameroon (endangered)[7]
  56. Kniphofia reynoldsii Codd - Tanzania, Zambia
  57. Kniphofia rigidifolia E.A.Bruce - Mpumalanga
  58. Kniphofia ritualis Codd - Free State, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal
  59. Kniphofia rooperi (T.Moore) Lem. - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces
  60. Kniphofia sarmentosa (Andrews) Kunth - Cape Provinces
  61. Kniphofia schimperi Baker - Ethiopia, Eritrea
  62. Kniphofia splendida E.A.Bruce - Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northeastern South Africa, Eswatini
  63. Kniphofia stricta Codd - Cape Provinces, Lesotho
  64. Kniphofia sumarae Deflers - Ibb Mountains of Yemen
  65. Kniphofia tabularis Marloth - Cape Provinces
  66. Kniphofia thodei Baker - Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal
  67. Kniphofia thomsonii Baker - Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia
  68. Kniphofia triangularis Kunth - Lesotho, South Africa
  69. Kniphofia typhoides Codd - Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Mpumalanga
  70. Kniphofia tysonii Baker - KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Provinces, Eswatini
  71. Kniphofia umbrina Codd - Eswatini
  72. Kniphofia uvaria (L.) Oken - Cape Provinces; naturalized in Mexico, North Carolina, Spain, Oregon, Turkey, Washington State, St. Helena, California
  73. Kniphofia vandeweghei Fischer & Ackermann - Rwanda

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:-[8]

  • 'Barton Fever' [9] (orange-white, 100 cm)
  • 'Bees' Sunset' [10] (yellow, 90 cm)
  • 'Brimstone' [11] (sulphur yellow, 90 cm)
  • 'Buttercup' [12] (clear yellow, 75 cm)
  • 'Coral Flame' [13] (coral red, 90 cm)
  • 'Fiery Fred' [14] (orange, 130 cm)
  • 'Incandesce' [15] (orange, 140 cm)
  • 'Innocence' [16] (red-yellow, 110 cm)
  • 'Jonathan' [17] (red-orange, 130 cm)
  • 'Moonstone' [18] (yellow, 120 cm)
  • 'Nobilis' [19] (evergreen, orange and yellow, 150 cm+)
  • 'Penny Rockets' [20] (orange, 100 cm)
  • 'Primrose Upward' [21] (yellow, 115 cm)
  • 'Rich Echoes' [22] (orange-yellow, 120 cm)
  • 'Royal Standard' [23] (red and yellow, 90 cm)
  • 'Safranvogel' [24] (peach pink, 80 cm)
  • 'Samuel's Sensation' [25] (red-yellow, 150 cm)
  • 'Sunningdale Yellow' [26] (orange and yellow, 60 cm)
  • 'Tawny King' [27] (cream/brown, 120 cm)
  • 'Timothy' [28] (orange, 100 cm)
  • 'Toffee Nosed' [29] (cream/brown, 100 cm)
  • 'Wrexham Buttercup' [30] (yellow, 120 cm)
edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  3. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  4. ^ Stevens, P.F., Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Asphodeloideae
  5. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  6. ^ "A New Species of Kniphofia from Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda". Novataxa. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Kniphofia reflexa". Redlist.org. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  8. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 57. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  9. ^ "Kniphofia 'Barton Fever'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Kniphofia 'Bees' Sunset'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Kniphofia 'Brimstone'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Kniphofia 'Buttercup'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Kniphofia 'Coral Flame'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Kniphofia 'Fiery Fred'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Kniphofia 'Incandesce'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Kniphofia 'Innocence'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Kniphofia 'Jonathan'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Kniphofia 'Moonstone'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  19. ^ "Kniphofia 'Nobilis'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Kniphofia 'Penny Rockets'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Kniphofia 'Primrose Upward'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Kniphofia 'Rich Echoes'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Kniphofia 'Royal Standard'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  24. ^ "Kniphofia 'Safranvogel'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Kniphofia 'Samuel's Sensation'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  26. ^ "Kniphofia 'Sunningdale Yellow'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  27. ^ "Kniphofia 'Tawny King'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Kniphofia 'Timothy'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  29. ^ "Kniphofia 'Toffee Nosed'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  30. ^ "Kniphofia 'Wrexham Buttercup'". RHS. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
edit