Common name: Plantain Lily, Hosta, Funkia
Family: Liliaceae, Lily (Hostaceae)
Height x width: 6-30" x 12-36" , varying with cultivar
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Foliage: basal, long petioles, ovate to elliptic to cordate, margins entire occasionally undulate, to 10" long and 2-6" wide, green or bluish glaucous or variously colored white or yellow
Flowers: white to purple, sometimes fragrant, trumpet-shaped, on 12-48" scapes (leafless stem), summer
Hardiness: zones 3-8
Soil: moist, well-drained
Light: part to full shade, will tolerate sun in North if sufficient moisture
Pests and Problems: slugs, hail, wind, leaf spots, crown rot, chewing insects
Landscape habit, uses: shade of tall trees, borders, woodland or natural gardens, good as either specimen or massed
Other interest: native to Japan and China; named for 19th century Austrian physician and botanist Nicolaus Thomas Host; common name said to be either for German botanist Heinrich Christian Funk, or vernacular Japanese fukurin fu; common name from resemblance of leaves to common weed plantain; Amer. Hosta Soc. and chapters provide further information
Other culture: low maintenance, rugged and strong grower, controls weeds; allow plenty of space when planting
Propagation: seed (mainly for breeding), division in spring, "rossizing", tissue culture
Species:
In the following table:
height--short (under 1'), medium (1-2'), tall (over 2')
bloom--early, mid or late summer
The following are only the most commonly seen species in U.S. commerce.
| Species | height | flower color | bloom | foliage | |
| capitata | short | purple | mid | olive green, undulate | |
| clausa | medium | purple-rose | mid-late | olive green, spreading habit | |
| crispula | short | pale mauve | early | white-edged | |
| fortunei | medium | lilac | mid | green to grayish | |
| gracillima | short | violet-rose | late | narrow, lanceolate, undulate | |
| hypoleuca | medium | pale lavender | mid | glaucous pale green, ovate | |
| kikutii | short | white | mid | arching green | |
| lancifolia | medium | deep violet | late | narrow, dark glossy | |
| longipes | medium | purple, white | late | green | |
| longissima | short | rosy mauve | late | green, creeping habit | |
| minor | short | mauve | mid | lustrous green, undulate | |
| montana | tall | mauve, white | mid | green, variable | |
| nakaiana | short | lilac | mid | green, undulate | |
| nigrescens | tall | white | late | early leaves, shoots purplish | |
| *plantaginea | tall | white | late | bright yellowish green | |
| *sieboldiana | tall | lilac,white | mid | thick bluish green | |
| sieboldii | medium | purple | mid | thin white margins | |
| tardiflora | short | clear mauve | late | glossy olive above, thick | |
| tibai | short | pale mauve | late | glossy, long petiole | |
| tokudama | short | grayish white | mid-late | glaucous, rugose, textured | |
| undulata | medium | lilac | mid | white, green margins, undulate | |
| *ventricosa | tall | violet | late | dark green, vein netting | |
| *venusta | short | lilac | mid | green, stoloniferous | |
Cultivars:
In the following table:
height--short (under 1'), medium (1-2'), tall (over 2')
bloom--early, mid or late summer
The following are only the most commonly seen in U.S. commerce of the
hundreds available. Those marked * are the most popular. Much breeding
the last 2 decades has led to many hybrids (where no species is listed)
and much taxonomic confusion as to true parentage.
| Cultivar | species | size | flowers | bloom | foliage | |
| *'Albomarginata' | fortunei | medium | lavender | mid | white-edged | |
| 'Albomarginata' | undulata | medium | lavender | mid | white-edged | |
| 'Albopicta' | fortunei | medium | pale mauve | mid | yellow, green margin | |
| 'Allan P. McConnell' | short | light purple | mid | white-edged | ||
| 'Antioch' | tall | lavender | mid | wide white-edged | ||
| 'Aoki' | medium | pale purple | mid | blue-green | ||
| 'Aphrodite' | plantaginea | medium | white, double | mid | green | |
| *'August Moon' | tall | white | mid | gold | ||
| 'Aureomaculata' | ventricosa | tall | bluish purple | late | yellow, green margins | |
| *'Aureomarginata' | fortunei | medium | mauve | mid | yellow-edged | |
| 'Aureomarginata' | montana | tall | lavender | late | wide yellow-edged | |
| 'Aureomarginata' | ventricosa | medium | lavender | late | gold-edged | |
| 'Aureo-nebulosa' | tokudama | medium | whitish | mid | yellow, blue margin | |
| 'Aurora Borealis' | tall | whitish | mid | blue, yellow-edged | ||
| 'Big Daddy' | large | whitish | mid | puckered steel blue | ||
| 'Birchwood Parky's Gold' | medium | lavender | mid | gold | ||
| 'Blue Angel' | large | whitish | mid | textured blue | ||
| 'Blue Boy' | medium | pale lavender | mid | blue, spreading | ||
| 'Blue Cadet' | short | lavender | late | blue | ||
| 'Blue Moon' | short | whitish | mid | blue, round | ||
| 'Blue Umbrellas' | large | whitish | mid | blue-green, cupped | ||
| 'Blue Wedgewood' | medium | lavender | mid | metallic blue | ||
| 'Bressingham Blue' | medium | whitish | mid | blue | ||
| 'Bright Glow' | medium | whitish | mid | gold, thick | ||
| 'Brim Cup' | short | lavender | early | white-edged | ||
| 'Candy Hearts' | short | lavender | mid | green, heart shaped | ||
| 'Chinese Sunrise' | medium | lavender | late | yellow in spring | ||
| 'Christmas Tree' | medium | whitish | mid | cream-edge,puckered | ||
| 'Decorata' | large | purple | mid | white-edged | ||
| 'Dorset Blue' | short | whitish | early | blue | ||
| *'Elegans' | sieboldiana | tall | white | mid | blue, thick | |
| 'Emerald Tiara' | short | purple | early | yellow, green margin | ||
| 'Erromena' | undulata | medium | lavender | mid | green | |
| 'Flavo-circinalis' | tokudama | medium | whitish | early | yellow-edged, blue | |
| *'Francee' | medium | lavender | mid | white-edge,dark green | ||
| *'Frances Williams' | sieboldiana | medium | whitish | mid | beige-edged, blue | |
| 'Fringe Benefit' | tall | lavender | early | cream-edged | ||
| *'Ginko Craig' | short | purple | mid | white-edged | ||
| 'Gold Drop' | short | lavender | mid | gold, heart-shaped | ||
| 'Gold Edger' | short | lavender | late | gold, round | ||
| 'Gold Regal' | large | pale purple | early | gold, upright | ||
| 'Gold Medallion' | tokudama | medium | whitish | mid | gold | |
| *'Gold Standard' | medium | lavender | mid | yellow, green margin | ||
| 'Golden Scepter' | short | lavender | mid | gold | ||
| 'Golden Sunburst' | sieboldiana | tall | whitish | mid | gold | |
| *'Golden Tiara' | short | lavender | late | gold-edged | ||
| 'Great Expectations' | tall | whitish | early | yellow, bluish edge | ||
| 'Green Fountain' | kikutii | medium | lavender | late | green, narrow | |
| 'Green Gold' | large | lavender | mid | creamy-edged | ||
| 'Groundmaster' | medium | lavender | mid | white-edged | ||
| 'Hadspen Blue' | short | near white | late | very blue | ||
| *'Halcyon' | x tardiana | medium | lavender | late | blue | |
| *'Honeybells' | large | pale lavender | early | green | ||
| 'Invincible' | short | whitish | mid | shiny green | ||
| 'Hyacintha' | fortunei | medium | mauve | mid | blue-green | |
| 'Kabitan' | sieboldiana | short | lavender | mid | yellow, green margin | |
| *'Krossa Regal' | tall | lavender | late | frosty blue, upright | ||
| 'Lemon Lime' | short | lavender | mid | gold | ||
| 'Little Aurora' | short | whitish | mid | metallic gold | ||
| 'Love Pat' | medium | near white | late | blue, cupped | ||
| 'Lunar Eclipse' | large | lavender | early | white-edged. gold | ||
| 'Moonlight' | medium | lavender | late | green-gold,white edge | ||
| 'North Hills' | medium | lavender | mid | white-edged | ||
| 'Northern Halo' | sieboldiana | tall | whitish | mid | blue, cream-edged | |
| 'Patriot' | medium | lavender | early | wide white-edged | ||
| 'Pearl Lake' | medium | lavender | mid | blue-green | ||
| 'Piedmont Gold' | medium | lavender | late | bright gold | ||
| 'Pizzazz' | tall | lavender | late | blue, white-edged | ||
| 'Platinum Tiara' | short | lavender | mid | green-gold,white edge | ||
| 'Resonance' | tall | lavender | mid | cream-edged | ||
| *'Royal Standard' | large | white | late | green | ||
| 'Saishu Jima' | short | purple | late | narrow, twisting | ||
| 'September Sun' | medium | whitish | early | gold, green margin | ||
| 'Shade Fanfare' | medium | lavender | mid | white-edged | ||
| 'So Sweet' | medium | lavender | late | white-edged | ||
| 'Sugar and Cream' | tall | whitish | late | white-edged | ||
| 'Sum and Substance' | tall | pale lavender | mid | gold, thick | ||
| 'Sun Power' | tall | lavender | late | gold, upright | ||
| 'Sundance' | medium | lavender | mid | cream-edged | ||
| 'Vanilla Cream' | short | whitish | mid | yellow | ||
| 'Variegata' | fluctuans | tall | lavender | mid | white-edged | |
| 'Vera Verde' | short | lavender | late | white-edged | ||
| *'Wide Brim' | tall | lavender | mid | bluish,white-edged | ||
| 'Zounds' | medium | whitish | early | gold, crinkled | ||
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