Leaf
Salicyna, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red hot poker
Kniphofia uvaria (L.) Oken
Also known as: Torch lily, Poker plant
Family: Asphodelaceae
80 cm to 1.20 m tall
Planted in a sunny border, rich, free-draining soils
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Fairly hardy, to about -12°C, appreciates a winter mulch in cold climates
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Red hot poker owes its name to its blazing spike, bright orange at the top and yellow towards the base, which evokes an upright flame — a colour gradient that really does change as the flowers open from the bottom upwards.
🍃 Leaves
Long, strap-shaped, in a dense basal tuft, somewhat leathery
🌸 Flowers
Small tubular flowers orange to bright red at the top, turning yellow towards the base, grouped in a dense upright spike
🍎 Fruits
Small dry capsule
🪵 Bark
Perennial herbaceous clump formed of rhizomes
🗺️ Distribution
Native to South Africa; widely grown in France as a border perennial
🐝 Value for pollinators
Spikes very rich in nectar, particularly attractive to bees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Spectacular border perennial planted for its blazing orange and yellow spike, highly visible from afar
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No notable known toxicity
🌿 Other Asphodelaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.
© Floraneo — profile content is protected; reproduction without permission is prohibited. Photos remain under their own licence (see the credit shown on each photo).