Help with ID of orange liatris-like plant, no pics

13 years ago

There's a house nearby that has the most gorgeous flowers currently blooming. If I ever see the owner outside I'll stop and ask for an ID, but until then I thought I'd check here.

From a distance this plant looks like marigold-orange liatris. The blooms appear to be a long series of tiny blooms (again, like liatris) at the top of a four-foot or so stalk. The leaves appear to be thin and pointy and about two inches, going all the way down to the base. It doesn't appear to widen at the base making it the same width top to bottom.

Any ideas? I've researched and researched and the closest I come is cardinal flower but the leaves are wrong for that one.

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Comments (11)

sunnyside1
13 years ago
Teeandcee -- Why can't liatris be orange?? I have always had the pink, but perhaps it's an orange cultivar (probably very expensive!) and your guess was right on the money that it was liataris.
Sunny
gldno1
13 years ago
Maybe red hot pokers, kniphofia uvaria; that came to mind instantly.

Do a google and look for images of them.

glenda
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mulberryknob
13 years ago
Red hot poker was my guess too as mine are blooming now.
teeandcee
Original Author
13 years ago
I've been Googling everything I can think of as far as search terms go and as far as I know there isn't an orange liatris. At least not online, lol.

Glenda and Mulberry, nope, not RH Poker but good guess.

Dang.

I'm going to try to get a drive-by photo tomorrow.
christie_sw_mo
13 years ago
Teeandcee - Did you solve the mystery yet? I'm stumped. I can't think of many plants that would have four foot spikes. Maybe it's some kind of tropical plant that they set outside. I don't think it would fit your description but verbascum/mullein or foxgloves grow tall.
teeandcee
Original Author
13 years ago
I know it's months away, but I plan to get a photo of these plants this year, blooming. I may even get all crazy and knock on the owner's door. Their next door neighbor also has it in their yard.
mosswitch
13 years ago
It might be a variety of giant hyssop. They look a bit like liatris, and there are many orange varieties that get 3-4' tall.
christie_sw_mo
13 years ago
Have you looked at Foxtail Lily? I saw a couple varieties of those that are orange, Cleopatra and Marmalade. It grows from a bulb, four to five feet tall. The botanical name is eremurus.

Here is a link that might be useful: Eremurus Orange images on Google
gldno1
13 years ago
I thought of a few I had seen in High Country Gardens catalog, penstemon and agastache.

Here is a link that might be useful: Orange flowers
helenh
13 years ago
I love the look of those spiked orange flowers Christie and Glenda those agastache are tempting. I love the ones with greyish leaves and pinkish orange flowers. I have had them before and lose them over winter.
teeandcee
Original Author
13 years ago
I looked all these latest suggestions up and Foxtail Lily is almost exactly what I saw! I remember the leaves as being different but I WAS looking at them as I was driving by.

I did get the feeling it was a bulb of some sort.

Woo hoo, I think you may have done it Christie!