Kniphofia uvaria buds and colour change

The top of the usually red or orange red Kniphofia uvaria inflorescence retains that colour until the perianths open and turn yellow or turn yellow and open. The cylindrical to slightly club-shaped buds are long and nearly straight. Some inflorescences lose buds early right at the top, allowing the thick, brown stem-tip to protrude.

The specific epithet, uvaria, is derived from the Latin word uva meaning a grape and -arius that indicates connection or possession, referring to the clustered, rounded buds resembling a bunch of grapes.

Small papery bracts below the individual flower pedicels are typical of this species. These bracts are oval to triangular, from 3 mm to 9 mm long, more visible once the perianths fall and they last longer.

The plant or its inflorescence may exude an unpleasant odour, as indicated by one of the plant’s Afrikaans names, the stinkaalwyn (stink aloe). The Aloe reference reminds that Kniphofia forms part of Asphodelaceae, the genus also containing the aloes.

Flowering happens in summer or the first part of summer, in some parts slightly earlier (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; Andrew, 2017; iNaturalist).