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Kniphofia uvaria 'Malibu Yellow' (Malibu Yellow Poker Plant) - A medium sized evergreen perennial growing to about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide with stout spikes topped with a dense conical cluster of yellow flowers spring through summer with flowers opening from the bottom up.
Plant in full sun with occasional to little irrigation along the coast - flowers better when watered more regularly. Hardy to below 15 degrees F (0° F if well mulched).
The species Kniphofia uvaria grows naturally in the Cape Province of South Africa. It was the first Kniphofia to be described and at that time was mistakenly thought to be an Aloe and was named Aloe uvaria. The name Kniphofia honors Johann Hieronymus Kniphof (1704 -1763), a German physician and botanist. The pronunciation of this genus is often argued about and while most continue to use the easiest to pronounce versions such as ny-FOE-fee-ah or nee-FOF-ee-a, others argue correctly that the name should follow the pronunciation of the name it commemorates. But even for this there are differences of opinion owing to different German regional dialects - one such pronunciation often noted as correct is nip-HOFF-ee-uh while another that is particularly hard to pronounce is k-nip-HOF-ia. Keeping it simple we still use ny-FOE-fee-ah. The specific epithet derives from an old Linnaean name for the plant as Aloe uvaria, from the Latin word 'uva' meaning "grape", in reference to the resemblance to the clusters of the fruits hanging on the stems.
This selection was made in 1991 from plants growing in the seaside Malibu property where the "grassman" John Greenlee had a nursery growing grounds in the late 1990s. We were growing another smaller yellow Kniphofia selection we called Kniphofia 'Dwarf Yellow' and named this larger plant 'Malibu Yellow' and sold it a such from 1992 until we closed the nursery in 2025.
The information displayed on this page about Kniphofia uvaria 'Malibu Yellow' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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