Red Hot Poker: The name describes what it looks like

I’m sure I’ve already outed myself as a plant geek at this point, but let’s just go ahead and cement my geekdom by talking about plant names for a minute. Sometimes I think that the coolest part of being a botanist or plant breeder is that if you discover or create a new plant, you get to name it whatever you want. Sometimes they name it after themselves, or a fellow botanist who may have been a mentor or inspiration (see the many plants with the species name wilsonii after Ernest Henry Wilson). Other times they name it after a loved one such as a spouse or family member. Countless flower cultivars of various species have women’s names in them, and I imagine each of them as a botanist husband’s attempt to apologize to his wife for spending long hours at work by naming something beautiful in her honor. Still other times, the names simply describe the appearance of the plant itself or describe something it does. For instance,  butterfly bush is a bush that attracts butterflies, while button bush is a bush that has flowers shaped like buttons, and so forth.

How about a plant that incorporates a person’s name and also describes exactly what it looks like? Look no further than the plant commonly known as Red Hot Poker, and known botanically as either Kniphofia uvaria or Kniphofia praecox. The name Red Hot Poker comes from the appearance of the flower, which looks quite a bit like a torch on a long stem. Dozens of individual tubular flowers cluster in a floral shape known as a raceme, and collectively resemble a flame with a mix of red, orange, and yellow components. These flowers emerge in late spring and early summer, on a stalk that may reach 2-4 feet in height. One can easily imagine using the stalk as a handle while poking someone or something with the red-hot flame at the tip. Presumably, that is exactly what 18th century German botanist Johann Hieronymus Kniphof (or whomever named the genus Kniphofia in his honor) had in mind.

Above: A clump of Red Hot Poker. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Right: A single stalk. Photo: C DeWitt, CC BY 4.0

Name aside, this is a relatively easy garden plant to grow, one that thrives in the often difficult hot, dry, sunny garden locations that cause many a weaker plant to shrivel and wilt during the peak of summer. Sandy soils are fine, but poorly drained soils that retain too much moisture are not ideal, particularly during the colder months. Kniphofia will generally grow to a width of about 2-3 feet, and though it doesn’t like to disturbed from its original planting place, it will produce many offshoots that can be severed and relocated or shared with gardening friends.

The flowers are a favorite of bees, hummingbirds, and even a few songbird species. Cutting back spent blooms will encourage a late summer/early fall rebloom. Many cultivars exist with variations on the traditional flower color, including ‘Lemon Popsicle’, ‘Peachy Cheeks’, ‘Orange Blaze’ and many others.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.