Orange buds and hanging yellow tubular flowers on a single Kniphofia uvaria spike

Kniphofia uvaria (Red-Hot Poker)

Native to the southwestern and southern Cape regions of South Africa, this clump-forming herbaceous perennial belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. Its dense spikes bear red to orange buds that open into hanging orange-yellow flowers. In the Western Cape, flowering can occur over much of the year and is influenced by fires in its native vegetation. Widely cultivated abroad, it has escaped into natural areas and is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.

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Upright Kniphofia uvaria spike with orange buds above hanging yellow tubular flowers

Tall Kniphofia uvaria spike with red-orange buds, yellow flowers and dried lower flowers against a forested mountain

A tall spike of orange and yellow Kniphofia uvaria flowers

Single Kniphofia uvaria spike with orange buds above yellow tubular flowers

A spike of red and orange Kniphofia uvaria flowers and buds

Kniphofia uvaria spike with orange buds above hanging yellow flowers against green foliage

Single Kniphofia uvaria spike with orange buds and yellow tubular flowers

A spike of yellow Kniphofia uvaria flowers

Bent Kniphofia uvaria spike with red-orange buds, yellow flowers and dried brown flowers

Kniphofia uvaria spike with orange tubular buds and open lower flowers

Kniphofia uvaria spike with orange buds, yellow tubular flowers, dried lower flowers and water droplets

Mass planting of red-hot poker Kniphofia uvaria flowers below forested Andean mountains

A bed of Kniphofia uvaria with spikes of red flowers in sunlight