526 



KNIPHOFIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. KNIPHOFIA. 



form ; the variety maxima globosa has 

 globose heads of yellow and red flowers ; 

 and the variety glaucescens has large flower- 

 spikes, the flowers being vermilion-scarlet 

 shading to orange. It is a free-flowering 

 plant, and is one of the best for heavy rich 

 soil. 



K. BURCHELLI. Introduced by Mr 

 Burchell from the Cape, is a distinct and 

 beautiful plant with a purple-spotted 

 stem and bright green leaves, firm in 

 texture, 2 to 3 feet long, which taper 

 gradually to the apex. It flowers soon 

 after midsummer, and just between prcscox 

 and the other forms of K. aloides. The 

 flower-heads are moderately dense, and 

 the flowers are bright red, excepting those 

 at the lower end of the head, which are 

 bright yellow, the style protruding, the 

 stamens being included in the tube. A 

 useful and distinct plant, suited for dry 

 banks and borders. 



K. CARNOSA. A beautiful plant, form- 

 ing low spreading leaf-rosettes, from the 

 midst of which a number of flower-stalks 

 rise to the height of i foot, with cylindrical 

 flower-spikes about 3 by i inches ; the 

 smallness of the flowers is compensated 

 for by their glowing apricot colour, 

 enhanced by bright yellow anthers. The 

 flowers open first on the top side in Sep- 

 tember. Abyssinia. 



K. CAULESCENS and K. NORTHIJE. 

 These differ from all other cultivated 

 kinds in having stems. K. caulescens 

 differs from all the forms of aloides in 

 being smaller, and in having very glaucous 

 leaves, short heads, and smaller and less 

 curved flowers. The stem, at 5 or 6 

 inches from the ground, can just be 

 spanned by both hands ; the scape is 

 about 4^ feet high, with a dense head of 

 flower 6 inches in length of a reddish-sal- 

 mon colour in its earlier stages, but in the 

 fully-expanded flower it gradually becomes 

 white, faintly tinged with greenish-yellow, 

 producing an effective contrast. The 

 glaucous blue-grey foliage is pretty. 

 Though less brilliant than most of the 

 species, it is one of the hardiest, and is 

 distinct and robust. It is a very striking 

 plant for the bold rock garden, and it 

 does well and flowers freely on dry slopes 

 in light warm soils, and in open sunny 

 positions. It should have a little protec- 

 tion in severe cold. Suckers or offsets 

 taken off in early autumn root freely in 

 sand in a cold frame. . 



K. COMOSA. Seems closely allied to 

 K. pumila, and has a peculiar appearance 

 with its long protruding style and anthers. 

 It is much dwarfer than K. aloides, its 

 leaves are much narrower, while its flowers 

 are smaller and its bright green leaves are 

 in dense rosettes, narrow, very pointed, 

 and almost three-cornered. The bright 

 yellow flowers droop in a dense oblong 

 head, the stamen and style being about 

 twice the length of the flower tube. K. 



comosa is a showy plant, flowering in 

 September, but is rather tender. 



K. FOLIOSA. Almost the counterpart 

 of K. caulescens, but it has distinct stems, 

 being also one of the most robust of all 

 the Kniphofias, and easily distinguished 

 by its broadish leaves and its protruding 

 stamens. The leaves form a dense tuft 

 on the top of a stem i to 3 feet high, and 

 are 3 or 4 inches broad at the base, tapering 

 to a long point ; flowers in a dense oblong 

 head nearly i foot long, bright yellow or 

 tinged red, appearing in late autumn. 

 Cape. Syn. K. Quartiniana. 



K. LEICHTLINI. Native of Abyssinia, 

 and requires winter protection even in 

 the south of England. Its spreading 

 bright green leaves form a dense tuft ; 

 they are 2 to 4 feet long, three-cornered, 

 with entire margins, the flower-stems 2 to 

 4 feet high, the flower-head about 6 inches 

 long, the drooping flowers of a dull ver- 

 milion-red and yellow. The variety dis- 

 ticha, which is quite distinct from the type, 

 is more robust, its leaves broader, and 

 flower-tube shorter ; two or three heads of 

 bright deep yellow flowers are borne on 

 the same stem in August. Some have 

 suggested that it is a hybrid between 

 K. Leichtlini and K. comosa. 



K. MACOWANI. This differs from most 

 Kniphofias in having the segments of its 

 corolla reflexed, and in being of dwarf 

 . habit, 12 to 1 8 inches high, the narrow 

 grassy leaves i to 2 feet long, the flower- 

 heads small, the flowers of a bright orange- 

 red. It is hardy, and is suitable for rock 

 gardens. Rigidissima and maroccana are 

 garden synonyms. The variety longiflora 

 has much longer flowers. K. corallina is 

 a robust hybrid. It is exactly interme- 

 diate between K. Macowani and K. aloides, 

 and is a very pretty plant. 



K. NORTHI^E. This is most nearly 

 allied to K. caulescens, but its leaves are 

 much broader, are not keeled, and are 

 serrulate on the margins. The dense 

 flower-heads are about i foot long, the 

 flowers being pale yellow, but the upper 

 ones are tinged with red towards the tips. 

 S. Africa. 



K. ROOPERI. Nearly allied to K. 

 aloides, but is an early or summer-flowering 

 plant, while the stamens are included in 

 the tube ; the flowers are paler and less 

 curved, and the leaves are broad and very 

 glaucous. K. Rooperi is a native of 

 Caffraria, and requires a little protection 

 during severe winters. It has a fine bold 

 effect when in full flower, the flower-heads, 

 6 inches to i foot long, being crowded with 

 bright orange-red flowers, which get 

 yellowish with age. 



K. SARMENTOSA. Distinguished from 

 K. aloides by its smaller glaucous leaves, 

 the cylindrical flower-heads from 6 inches 

 to i foot long, the flowers red in the upper 

 half, and yellow, or yellow tinged red, in 

 the lower. It is perfectly hardy. Cape. 



