Kniphofia rooperi – East Cape Poker

Description

Native to moist grasslands from the eastern Cape Province to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, this perennial sports a tuft of narrow, keeled, grasslike leaves. The solitary inflorescence holds a terminal cluster of flowers that are orange red in bud and turn yellowish when opening. In cultivation it is hardy to at least USDA Zone 7 even though it will freeze to the ground in winter with heavy freezes. Seeds are best sown in trays and only thinly covered and germinate easily in 1 to 2 months.