Page 49 - Thola Issue 17

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It grows in moist, grassy hill slopes, often amongst rocks. Kniphofia buchananii is easily recognised by its small, white flowers. The species in not threatened. It is named after Reverend John Buchanan (1821-1903), a farmer and missionary. The species is commonly known as Small White Poker, ihlinzanyoka elincane (isiZulu).
KNIPHOFIA GRACILIS
This species grows in clumps. The leaves recurve about the middle, 400- 1 200 mm long and 4-14 mm wide. The flower stalk overtops the leaves, 250-1 000 mm tall. The flower heads are oblong, tapering towards the apex, 90-350 mm long and 28-38 mm wide, dense or lax. The flowers are 11-20 mm long, whitish, creamy-yellow or yellow. Buds are whitish tinged with pink, yellow or orange. The capsules are ovoid, three-angled, about 6 mm long.
Kniphofia gracilis flowers from January to March and occurs in
Treasure Beach, Brighton Beach, Silverglen, Pinetown and Botha’s Hill.
It grows on grassy hill slopes. It is
similar to Kniphofia laxiflora but may
be distinguished by its shorter flowers and colour of flowers. Flowers are 22- 35 mm long and vary in colour: yellow, pink, coral, orange or red. The species is not threatened and the name refers to the slender habit of the plant, hence the common name Graceful Poker.
BELOW LEFT: Small White Poker, Kniphofia buchananii. BELOW RIGHT: Graceful Poker, Kniphofia gracilis.
KNIPHOFIA LAXIFLORA
This species grows in clumps. The leaves recurve at about the middle, 500-
1 200 mm long and 5-10 mm wide. The flower stalk overtops the leaves and is 400-900 mm tall. The flower heads are oblong and dense or markedly elongate and lax, 100-450 mm long and 45-
55 mm wide. The flowers are 24-35 mm long, variable in colour, ranging from pale yellow, yellow-green to salmon- pink, orange, coral red or red-orange. Buds are similar to open flowers in colour but are deeply pigmented. The capsule is ovoid, three-angled, about
8 mm long.
Kniphofia laxiflora flowers from
January to March and occurs in Silverglen and Inanda and grows on grassy hill slopes. This species is very variable and three forms are recognised. The species is similar to Kniphofia gracilis but can be distinguished by
its longer flowers that are not white
or bicolourous. In Kniphofia gracilis, flowers are 11-20 mm long and white or yellow. The species is not threatened and the name refers to the lax flower heads, which may also be fairly dense. It is commonly called the Slender
Poker as well as icacane, inxonya, isiqungasikatikolodhe, and umantunga (isiZulu). It is recorded that infusions made from pounded rhizomes are sipped hot to treat chest complaints.
KNIPHOFIA LINEARIFOLIA
Tyson’s Poker, Kniphofia tysonii var. tysonii at Cato Ridge.
Genus: Family:
Common names:
First described:
Found:
Number of species worldwide:
Number of species in southern Africa:
Number of species in KwaZulu-Natal:
Number of species Municipality (Durban): 8 (11%)
eThekwini Municipality area:
2 297 km2
The area extends from Umkomaas in the south, along the coast to Tongaat in north, moving inland to Cato Ridge in the west.
Kniphofia Moench
Xanthorrhoeaceae (previously Asphodelaceae, even earlier Liliaceae)
Poker Plant, Red-hot Poker, Tritoma, Torch Lily, Vuurpyl (Afrikaans), icacane (isiZulu)
1 794 by Professor Conrad Moench of Marburg University, Germany in the journal Methodus
Africa, Madagascar and Yemen
±70
± 48 (close to 70%)
± 34 (close to 50%)
in eThekwini
Number of cultivars worldwide: More than 650
Commercial value: Linked with horticulture and not
floriculture. Value of the trade is unknown.
thola: VOLUME 17. 2014/15
Photo credit: Himansu Baijnath
Photo credit: Syd Ramdhani
Photo credit: Martin von Fintel, SANBI Collection