Growing to 1.7 m (5.6 ft) tall, it is a robust evergreen perennial with handsome curved leaves resembling an aloe.

[4] In spring and summer the stout central stem bears oval flowerheads consisting of many tubular florets packed closely together.

Green in bud, the flowers open to a muted red and fade from the base to yellow and brown, thus giving the appearance of a red-hot poker.

K. northiae is found above 300 m (980 ft) in the mountain grassland of the Drakensberg from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal.

Slightly larger and more tender than its cousin K. rooperi it favours milder locations such as the south west coast of England.