Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Kniphofia uvaria (L.) Oken

Synonyms

Kniphofia aloides Moench
Kniphofia uvaria (L.) Hook. f.

Family

Aloeaceae (Victoria)
Asphodelaceae (New South Wales)

Common Names

common torch lily, pokerplant, red hot poker, re hot poker plant, red hot pokers, red-hot poker, redhot poker, torch lily, torchflower

Origin

Native to southern Africa (i.e. Cape Province in South Africa).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in some parts of south-eastern Australia (i.e. on the central and southern tablelands of New South Wales and in southern Victoria). Possibly also naturalised in south-eastern South Australia, and naturalised overseas in south-western USA (i.e. California).

Notes

This species is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria and New South Wales, and as a potential environmental weed or "sleeper weed" in other parts of southern Australia. Red hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria) has escaped cultivation, often becoming naturalised or persisting around old habitations. It has also spread into some natural areas, where it forms thick clumps of vegetation and threatens sensitive ecosystems.

In Victoria, small populations of red hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria) have invaded dry coastal vegetation, heathlands and heathy woodlands along the southern coast. For example, it is present in rear-dune swales near the western tip of Phillip Island, at Anglesea and at Port Campbell. It appears on several local environmental weed lists (e.g. in Knox City, Nillumbik Shire and Frankston City) and has also invaded conservation areas (e.g. Phillip Island Nature Park and the Bay of Islands Coastal Park) in this region. It has also been sighted in cooler upland areas in the southern parts of Victoria (e.g. along roadsides in the vicinity of Tarra-Bulga National Park in the Strzelecki Ranges).

In New South Wales this species is mainly found in cooler tableland areas. It is currently of most concern in the wider Sydney and Blue Mountains region, particularly in the Upper Blue Mountains, where it is a weed of sedge swamps and hanging swamps.