Well-known as red-hot-pokers, these are not all red-hot. The classic ones have dense spikes of brilliant red tubular flowers that become yellow as they open, but there are many others that are pure red, orange, yellow or white. They all make clumps of rising, narrow, fleshy leaves, and generally flourish in damp places, even wet ones, although they also like sun - they are natives of South Africa. If you really want to be technical correct, you should remember that they are name after a German Professor Kniphof, so pronounce the K separately, then nip, and then hof (hoaf)!

Kniphofia citrina is merely yellow-hot, but this makes it all the more distinctive. The buds do show some orange colour, but the flowers are lemon yellow, becoming almost yellow-green as they fade.