Hosta ventricosa

(Salisbury) Stearn

Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 90: 27. 1931.

Common names: Blue plantain-lily
Introduced
Basionym: Bryocles ventricosa Salisbury Trans. Hort. Soc. London 1: 335. 1812
Synonyms: Niobe caerulea (Andrews) Nash
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 224. Mentioned on page 223.

Plants forming clumps 80–90 × 50 cm; rhizomes compact. Leaves: petiole spreading horizontally, light green with purple streaks at base, deeply grooved, 18–25 cm; blade lustrous dark green, broadly ovate to cordate, 20–30 × 15–20 cm, apex acuminate; veins in 7–9 lateral pairs. Scape 80–95 cm. Inflorescences: racemes stiffly erect, flushed red at base, 20–30-flowered, to 1 m; floral bracts broad, pale green, white at base; sterile bract 1, leafy, occurring at midpoint. Flowers 4–5.5 cm, not fragrant; perianth urceolate-cylindric; tepals bluish purple, lobes not recurved; anthers spotted purple. Capsules short, triangular, stubby, apex blunt. 2n = 120.


Phenology: Flowering summer (July).
Habitat: Disturbed open areas
Elevation: 0–500 m

Distribution

Introduced; Conn., Del., Ky., Md., Mass., Mich., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., Vt., Va., W.Va., expected elsewhere, China, cultivated worldwide

Discussion

Hosta ventricosa, a natural tetraploid, undergoes pseudogamous apomixis and therefore breeds true, but is of no use as a seed parent in hybridizing. It can, however, act as a pollen parent. Like H. plantaginea, this species was an early introduction from China.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thicker" is not a number.

... more about "Hosta ventricosa"
spotted purple +
dorsifixed +
cordate +  and linear +
blunt +  and acuminate +
Frederick H. Utech +
(Salisbury) Stearn +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
dilated +
Bryocles ventricosa +
reticulate-veined +  and parallel-veined +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
smooth;puckered +
broadly ovate +  and cordate +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
tunicate +  and scaly +
stubby +  and triangular +
dome--shaped +
Blue plantain-lily +
Conn. +, Del. +, Ky. +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, R.I. +, Vt. +, Va. +, W.Va. +, expected elsewhere +, China +  and cultivated worldwide +
0–500 m +
connate-coroniform +  and dilated +
white +  and pale green +
not fragrant +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br />) +
loculicidal +
triangular +, elongate +  and angled +
membranaceous +  and leathery +
Disturbed open areas +
subsecund +  and racemose +
persistent +
not recurved +
undulate +
many;several +
zygomorphic +  and actinomorphic +
urceolate-cylindric +
ridged +  and terete +
18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
Flowering summer (July). +
Gard. Chron., ser. +
20-30-flowered +
flushed red +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
stoloniferous +  and branching +
80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br /> (95 cm950 mm <br />0.95 m <br />) +
wind-distributed +
flattened +
Introduced +
adnate +  and free +
staminodial +
1 +  and several +
3-lobed +  and capitate +
3 +  and 1 +
filiform +
Niobe caerulea +
Hosta ventricosa +
species +
bluish purple +
wide-throated +
narrower +
campylodromous +
prominent +, sunken +  and conspicuous +
80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
3 +  and 2 +