Page 51 - Thola Issue 17

ABOVE: Himansu Baijnath (centre) discussing the future of the Racecourse Lily with Thembinkosi Ngcobo (left), Head of eThekwini Municipality’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit and Vuyi Thabethe (right), past Manager: Natural Resources Management Division, eThekwini Municipality.
RIGHT: Tyson’s Poker, Kniphofia tysonii var. tysonii at Cato Ridge. BELOW: Common Red-hot Poker, Kniphofia littoralis.
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flowers are 14-18 mm long and yellow. Buds are also yellow and the capsules are subglobose, about 6 mm long.
Kniphofia pauciflora flowers from September to November, is restricted to the eThekwini Municipality and known from a single locality, Clairwood Race Course. It is facing an extremely high risk of extinction due to proposed development of a logistic park at the Clairwood Race Course. The species name refers to the small number of flowers in the flower heads and it is commonly known as Racecourse Lily and Dainty Poker.
KNIPHOFIA TYSONII
VAR. TYSONII
This species grows in clumps. The leaves are erect and at maturity fold at the middle, are 800-1 500 mm long and 12-40 mm wide. The flower stalk overtops leaves, 1 000-1 500 mm long. The flower head is dense, oblong to almost cylindrical, 70-150 mm long and 45-55 mm wide. The flowers are 20- 28 mm long, yellow to yellow-green. The buds are orange to pinkish red. The capsules are subglobose, three-angled and about 6 mm long.
Kniphofia tysonii var. tysonii flowers from December to May and occurs
in Umkomaas, Silverglen, Pinetown, Inanda and Cato Ridge. It may be easily confused with Kniphofia linearifolia
but differs in having shorter flowers and stamens exerted by 7-15 mm. In Kniphofia linearifolia, flowers are 25- 35 mm long and stamens are exerted by 3-5 mm.
This species is not threatened. It is named after William Tyson (1850-1920), a plant enthusiast and teacher who came to South Africa in 1874, and it is commonly known as Tyson’s Poker. His collections included flowering plants and marine algae.
RED-HOT POKERS IN
THE GARDEN
Getting to know the eight species
in eThekwini is a good start to understanding and recognising the South African species in this group of plants. Red-hot pokers are favoured as garden ornamentals because of their range of growth forms, sizes and flower colours.
For the keen gardener in eThekwini, the local species may be used in different settings in a garden. They are suitable as border plants, accent plants and as contrast subjects next to a rock or part of a pond. They can also be grown in large pots and placed in the garden layout. Kniphofia plants do best in open sunny spots and can tolerate partial shade. The species in eThekwini also lend themselves to breeding experiments, as species cross easily.
This has been the basis for numerous cultivars originating in English and European gardens.
Flowers of red-hot poker plants produce sugar-rich nectar and pollen
as food rewards for birds and insects. Insects, especially honeybees, visit red- hot poker flowers to feed on nectar and gather pollen. Several species of birds, some of which are specialist nectar feeders, visit species with dense flower heads, for example, Kniphofia linearifolia, Kniphofia northiae and Kniphofia tysonii. Among the eThekwini species, Kniphofia pauciflora, Kniphofia linearifolia and Kniphofia littoralis are available in local nurseries. They sucker well and quickly form clumps with many flower heads and are excellent in home gardens for attracting birds and insects.
thola: VOLUME 17. 2014/15
Photo credit: Himansu Baijnath
Photo credit: David Styles
Photo credit: Yashica Singh