February 27, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
175 
Torch Lilies. 
Kniphofia. 
Notwithstanding the many sipecies of Kniphofia which are 
ao-w known to science, very few of them get into gardens 
generally. A considerable number of them hare been intro¬ 
duced recently, and several of them are veiy pretty indeed. 
Nature lias been lavish in giving us variety, but. when she has 
taken pains to produce a small head of tiny flowers for the 
sake of. distinctness we are apt to decline her favours. The 
most popular of all the .species is K. aloides, and from that 
point of view we have practically been spoiled and decline to 
see beauty in the smaller-flowered species, which are never¬ 
theless really very pretty. 
Under the name of Torch Lily, Flame Flower, or Red Hot 
Poker, this species and its varieties are known to almost every 
gardener. Tritoma is, perhaps, the best-known generic name, 
and was first used by Ker-G-awl, a botanist who used to write 
a deal in the early numbers of the “ Botanical Magazine ’ and 
contemporary works. Another name is T'ritomanthe, used 
by Link in his enumeration of the plants of the Berlin Botanic 
Garden ; and we well remember the difficulty we had in getting 
hold of the name when commencing gardening. A fellow 
gardener knew it under the latter name, 
and having heard it, but probably never 
having seen it in print or writing, he could 
not make himself very clear on the point. 
Link also called it Tritomium. Several 
other names have been given it, but Kni¬ 
phofia was first employed in 1 794. 
Kninhofia aloides. 
This, the best-known species,'was intro¬ 
duced from South Africa in 1707, and has 
given rise to several varieties, differing 
chiefly in the size of the head and in the 
shade of colour of the flowers, hut, curiously 
enough, no real yellow or white variety of 
this species has been raised. It produces 
a conical elongated raceme of orange-red 
flowers, with a grey tint, and presently be 1 - 
coining of a. clear orange-red, then a. dull 
yellow or nearly white with green ribs as 
the flower's reach their final stages before 
withering. The very short segments of 
the flower are also white. The yellow 
filaments are considerably protruded, and 
not without effect in the appearance of the 
flower. 
A well-marked variety is K. a. maxima., 
having taller and stouter stems and longer 
racemes of flowers than the type-. This 
was introduced from the Orange Free State, 
now the Orange River’ Colony, in 1862. 
Another strikingly distinct variety is Iv. a. 
' maxima glohosa., with short and white or globoso^conical 
orange-red flowers, fading to yellow tinted with red. 
Another grand variety is that named Iv. a, nohilis, with 
flower-stems reaching a height of 6 ft. and orange-red racemes 
of great length. This may he seen by refei'ence to our illus¬ 
tration of the variety taken last autumn in the nursery of 
Messrs. George Bunyard and Co., Royal Nurseries, Maidstone. 
A large, plantation of it had been, flowering for some time, and 
it will he seen, from many of the plants in the foreground that, 
a large number of the earlier flowers have, pa.ss.ed into the 
fruiting stage and lie more closely against the stem. 
K. natalensis. 
Probably this was first introduced from Natal, but it has 
since been found in other parts of S. Africa. The racemes are 
elongated, cylindrical, and the tliinly disposed purple-red 
flowers, fading to pale purple or purple-pink with yellow fila¬ 
ments, are therefore very distinct from K. aloides, though it. 
lias not. the same striking appearance by reason of its smaller 
racemes of flowers, more thinly disposed on the stems. Its 
peculiar shade of colour makes it valuable in a collection 
where so many shades of orange-red are difficult to distinguish. 
K. pumila. 
The stems of this South African species are only 3 ft. to 
31, ft. in height, and its flowers are produced in a narrow 
conical raceme. They are dull red at first, but as the limb 
expands they fade to a. yellow hue tinted with green, with 
decidedly green ribs and white tips to the short segments. 
The filaments are yellow, but not very much protruded from 
the flower. It is a. very old species, having been introduced to 
British gardens in 1 774. 
K. corallina. 
The racemes of flowers in this instance, are cylindrical at 
first, but as they elongate the top becomes conical and the 
lower portion contracted as the flowers fade. At their best 
the latter are of a bright coral-red. The leaves are dark green 
and finely sawed on the edges. The variety is of garden origin, 
and seems, to. be closely related to Iv. aloides, which may have 
been one of its parents. 
K. Burchelli. 
The racemes are conical and dull red, fading to greenish- 
yellow flushed with. red. The filaments are yellow, but not 
much protruded. It was introduced from South Africa, in 
1816, and flowers in autumn. 
K. pauciflora, 
This may be described as a. .small and slender yet pretty 
species for beds or borders. The plant stands about 12 in. to 
18 ini. in height, and has only a few small and clear yellow 
flowers, contracted at the base, like Solomon’s Seal and funnel- 
shaped upwardsi, the segments being edged with white. The 
leaves are very slender and three-edged. This latter character¬ 
istic isi very prevalent in the genus, and gives rise to. the name 
Tritoma., apparently to indicate that the leave® have three 
sharp or cutting edges. It. -was introduced from Natal. . 
K. kewensis. 
The parentage of this garden hybrid was K. pauciflora. x K. 
Macowanii. The stems vary from 2 ft. to 2| ft, in height, with 
a thin raceme of flowers, the latter being cylindrical, slightly 
Kniphofia aloides- nobilis. 
