Kniphofia Poem by Douglas Scotney

When it comes to Kniphof
the English erroneously
don't say the K.

They say Nip -hov or -hoff or -hoaf,
or Nife -ov or -off or -oaf -
or Nip off or Niff of.

It's a german botanist's name
that was given to a genus of pokers
with (bloody!) knife-sharp strappy leaves.

One cultivar is 'Percy's Pride'.
Another three
are 'Stately', 'Blaze'
and 'Jubilee'.

They're called Torch Lilies too,
for the obvious reason.

Most light up late summer through autumn,
though Percy is proudest
in the coldest season.

There was one by my childhood shed -
possibly Kniphofia uvaria nobilis,
whose torch is bright
and orangy-red.