Kniphofia is a large genus of about 70 Species in the Asphodelaceae family that are rhizomatous or have fleshy roots. They are from Africa, Madagascar and Yemen. Most of the species are from Africa, especially South Africa and many of the popular cultivars originated from South African species.
Page 1: K. acraea... Page 2: K. ichopensis...
Kniphofia sarmentosa (Andrews) Kunth has strap-shaped leaves and reddish flowers, becoming buff with exserted anthers. This species is found in mountain streams and moist hollows from the western Karoo to the Hex River mountains (winter rainfall areas) of South Africa. It has a spreading habit by producing underground runners. The first two photos were taken in South Africa, August 2001 in a very wet winter in the western Karoo and the last was taken September 2006 in the Roggeveld. The first three photos were taken by Mary Sue Ittner. The fourth was taken by Cameron McMaster September 2011, also in the Roggeveld. The fifth picture was taken by Lauw de Jager February 2008 in a garden in Gerona, Northeastern Spain. The last photo of a yellow variation is from the book Plants of the Klein Karoo courtesy of Jan and Anne Lise Schutte-Vlok.
Kniphofia stricta Codd is a summer rainfall species that blooms later than most of the summer rainfall species. It is best identified by it's unkeeled leaves, showing an u-shape in cross section. The first photo was taken near Balloch by Rod Saunders in March 2010. The other photos from Cameron McMaster were taken at Andriesberg and Mosheshs Ford in the Eastern Cape.
Kniphofia thodei Baker grows in moist mountain grassland, up to 2750 m. This photo was taken by Roy Herold in KwaZulu-Natal Province, near Kamberg in the foothills of the Drakensberg, in early November 2004. The same plants were observed blooming in December, 2006.
Kniphofia thomsonii Baker is among the more strikingly distinct Kniphofia. The well spaced individual flowers, each gracefully down-curved, give these plants something of a Lachenalia or Phygelius look. Photo 1 by David Fenwick, photo 2 by Jim McKenney show a triploid form of this species. It is a form of this species that is most widely grown in North America. Photos 3-4 taken by Nhu Nguyen shows how vigorous and beautiful this species can be. In the San Francisco Bay Area this species grows well outdoors and can bloom several times a year. It never goes completely dormant if water is available.
Kniphofia thomsonii var. snowdenii (C.H.Wright) Marais is distinguished from the species based on the pubescence on the flowers. Photos by David Fenwick.
Kniphofia triangularis Kunth is an evergreen perennial to 60 cm tall with coral red to orange yellow flowers in a cylindrical nodding head. Blooming January to April, it is found in mountain grassland, streambanks, and moist areas in the Eastern Cape to the Northern province of South Africa. There are two subspecies recognized: subspecies triangularis with narrow, grasslike leaves up to 3 mm wide, and subspecies obtusiloba with more typical Kniphofia leaves up to 9 mm wide.
Photos 1-3 taken January 2010 by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner at Gaika's Kop. The last two photos by Cameron McMaster. The last one was taken at Andriesberg.
Kniphofia typhoides Codd is native to the Northern Province to KwaZulu-Natal where it grows solitary or in small groups in marshy areas from 1300 to 1800 m. The blue-green leaves are arranged in a fan and tend to be spirally twisted. The faintly scented inflorescence of short brown flowers resembles that of cattails (Typha spp.) hence the species ephithet typhoides = "resembling Typha". Flowering in the wild is from February to March according to Elsa Pooley. The photos below were taken by Ina Crossley from plants in her garden.
The photo below was taken by Ellen Hornig.
Kniphofia uvaria (L.) Oken is a mostly winter rainfall species that grows in seeps, marshes, and streams on sandstone slopes and flowers in spring. It has strap-shaped leaves that are keeled. Flowers are orange to greenish yellow with anthers either not or slightly exserted at flowering. The first three photos taken September 2006 in South Africa near Bainskloof by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller following a fire earlier in the year that had stimulated flowering. The last photo with a pollinator is from the book Plants of the Klein Karoo courtesy of Jan and Anne Lise Schutte-Vlok.
Photos 1-3 below from Cameron McMaster and Bob Rutemoeller show this species flowering near the summit of Gaika's Kop January 2010. This is a summer rainfall area. Photos 4-6 from Mary Sue Ittner show others flowering in the Eastern Cape.
Page 1: K. acraea... Page 2: K. ichopensis...