The number of hosta species that exist has been debated for a long time. The International Plant Names Index, adhered to by the Hosta Library, lists 46 plus additional subspecies or varieties. Wikipedia lists as few as 24. The discussion will likely go on forever.
Hostas are native to just three countries – Japan, China, and Korea. Recently I wrote a series of four articles for the Hosta Journal which describes the eight species found in Korea, their characteristics, and how they have been used in hybridizing. Specifically they are Hosta capitata, H. clausa, H. jonesii, H. laevigata, H. minor, H. tsushimensis, H. venusta, and H. yingeri. In this article I will talk about Hosta albofarinosa and H. ventricosa, which are two of the four species found in China. In a future article I will discuss H. plantaginea and H. clausa var. ensata.
Hosta albofarinosa was discovered in the early 1980’s in the Yellow Mountains, about 260 miles west of Nanking, China. It was found growing on steep slopes at an elevation of 800 meters with thin soil layers. Despite this siting, it is not considered drought resistant. Since then other populations have been found, some of them occurring in open areas competing with aggressive grasses. It has yet to make its way to the West.
Hosta albofarinosa forms a clump about 6 to 8 inches tall and 8 to 12 inches wide, similar to Hosta longipes in Japan. The leaf blade is ovate to narrow, 5 to 12 inches long by about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches wide. It is powdery white on both sides, but heaviest on the back of the leaves, the only Chinese hosta to exhibit this characteristic. The funnelform flowers of H. albofarinosa are white with purplish streaks, blooming in June on 16 inch scapes. Flower morphology is similar to that of H. sieboldii.
As stated earlier, H. albofarinosa has not been imported in significant numbers to the US, or Europe for that matter. It does have some qualities that makes it desirable to hybridizers, however. The compact size and white coloration on the back side of the leaves are both advantageous characteristics. Its ability to compete with grasses is another trait that is worth looking into. Despite having many enviable characteristics, to my knowledge no hybrids or selections have been made from Hosta albofarinosa.
The history of Hosta ventricosa goes back to at least 1790. At that time it was brought to England by George Hibbert, one of the first hostas to make its way to Europe. Unlike any other hosta it is a naturally occurring tetraploid and will produce clonal seed, a trait called pseudogamous apomixis. Originating in Kantong and Yuyuan China, it is found in forests, grassy slopes, and hillsides. It is one of the easiest hosta species to grow and will adapt to most environmental conditions, including full sun.
Hosta ventricosa is a medium to large plant with a minimum expected height of 20 inches and spread of 32 inches. Leaves are heart shaped, dark green, slightly rippled, and very glossy. Flowers are medium to dark purple, and bell shaped with distinctive striping. They are produced from mid to late July into September. Scapes may be over 40 inches long. It is a heavy seed producer, with virtually all of the seedlings being identical to the parent. Since fertilization must take place in order for seed to form, however, an occasional variant is sometimes found. Examples of this which have been introduced into the trade are ‘Holly’s Honey’ (G Holly, 1986), which has glossy green rippled foliage and dark purple flowers, and ‘Lakeside Black Satin’ (M Chastain,) which boasts exceptionally dark green foliage. Other sports and seedlings include ‘Tiffney’s Darth Vader,’ ‘Fat Cheeks,’ ‘John Metzgar,’ ‘Jolly Green Dwarf,’ and ‘Peedee Elfin Bells.’
Two variations of the species have been in collections for many years. ‘Aureomaculata’ has been cultivated in the Netherlands since 1856. It has gold-centered, green-margined foliage and is viridescent, meaning that it gradually changes to green through the summer. ‘Aureomarginata,’ another sport of H. ventricosa, is the opposite of ‘Aureomaculata.’ It has a green center with an irregular margin that changes from creamy yellow to creamy white during the summer. Both of these cultivars have produced sports and have been used in breeding. ‘Fury of Flame,’ an all-yellow seedling of ‘Aureomaculata’ introduced by Mark Zilis in 1985 is viridescent like its parent.
Hosta ventricosa is rarely used as a pollen parent because of its apomictic character but makes an excellent pod parent. Two of the notable hybrids are ‘Slick Willie’ (J Hadrava, 1996), a cross with ‘Invincible’ that has shiny green foliage and lavender flowers, and ‘Sunny Disposition’ (F Nyikos, 2001.) This cross with ‘Birchwood Parky’s Gold’ is lutescent gold, meaning that it changes from chartreuse to gold through the summer. Grow it in more sun than usual for best color. Other hybrids include ‘Betty,’ a cross with H. nakaiana, ‘Kiwi Black Magic, which uses H. sieboldiana as the pollen source, ‘Peedee Treasure’ (with ‘Gold Drop’,) ‘Rachel’ (with ‘Heartache,) ‘Rippled Honey’ (with H. plantaginea,) ‘Rosedale Dough Boy’ and ‘Rosedale Stitched in Silk’ (both using ‘Invincible’ as the pollen source,) and ‘Venucosa,’ a cross with H. venusta)
Both Hosta albofarinosa and Hosta ventricosa have many desirable characteristics that should have hosta hybridizers salivating. Only H. ventricosa has made its presence felt in the industry, however, and maybe even it has fallen somewhat out of favor. It is time to look at it again and add H. albofarinosa to the mix as well.
The Cottage Gardener 