Kniphofia. also called tritoma, red hot poker, torch lily, knofflers or poker plant, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae, first described as a genus in 1794. It is native to Africa. Herbaceous species and hybrids have narrow, grass-like leaves 10–100 cm long, while perennial species have broader, strap-shaped foliage up to 1.5 m 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. In the New World they may attract sap-suckers such as hummingbirds and New World orioles. The Kniphofia genus is named after Johann Hieronymus Kniphof, an 18th-century German physician and botanist.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme.
Very, very cool Nick. The alternate names are pretty funny. It's hard to forget "red hot poker" although I'm partial to "torch lily" (even though it doesn't look much like a lily). I'd think the hummingbirds would be all over this amazing flower.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen these for a long time Nick. Once they were quite common in people's gardens. I should get some for ours.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting and never observed before! Amazing petals!
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