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BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT
The present invention relates to the new and distinct
hosta
plant,
Hosta 'Alakazaam' hybridized by
Ronald Livingston in the summer of 2000 at
a garden in Clawson, Mich. and was separated as a
seedling of potential in May 2002. The new plant is the
result of a controlled cross between the proprietary
seedling 'M12A' (not patented) as the female or pod
parent and
Hosta 'Atom Smasher' (not patented) as the male or pollen
parent.
Hosta 'Alakazaam' has been asexually propagated by division at the same
garden in Clawson, Mich. in 2006 and all resulting
plants have retained all the same traits as the original
plant. The plant has also been propagated by tissue
culture at a
nursery in Zeeland, Mich., with the
resultant plants of this asexual propagation maintaining
all the same traits as the original plant. The plant is
stable and reproduces true to type in successive
generations of asexual reproduction.
The most similar known
hosta
cultivars known to the applicant are:
Hosta 'Pineapple
Punch' U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,318 and 'Atom Smasher' (not patented). 'Pineapple
Punch' has a much
larger leaf and habit, a darker leaf center and taller
flower scapes than 'Alakazaam'. 'Atom Smasher’, the pollen parent, has solid yellow
leaves and smaller habit than 'Alakazaam'.
Hosta 'Alakazaam' differs from all other
hostas
known to the applicant, by the combination of the
following traits.
1. Compact short habit with predominantly horizontal
leaves.
2. Lance-shaped apple-green leaves with rippled
pie-crust margin of yellow to creamy white.
3. Lavender flowers beginning in mid July.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall
appearance of the plant, including the unique traits.
The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with
color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,
temperature, source and direction may cause the
appearance of minor variation in color.
FIG. 1 shows the new plant in the landscape.
FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the leaves of the new plant.
DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The following descriptions and color references are
based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary
terms are used. The new plant,
Hosta ' Alakazaam’,
has not been observed under all possible environments.
The phenotype may vary slightly with different
environmental conditions, such as temperature, light,
fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any
change in the genotype. The following observations and
size descriptions are of a three-year old plant in a 50%
shaded trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. with and
supplemental water and fertilizer.
Botanical Classification:
Hosta
hybrid;
Parentage:
Female. Proprietary
seedling 'M12A' (not patented).
Male. 'Atom Smasher'.
Propagation: Garden division and sterile plant tissue
culture;
Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About two
and a half weeks;
Growth rate: Moderate;
Crop time: About 14 to 18 weeks to finish during the
summer in a one-liter container from rooted tissue
culture plantlet;
Rooting habit: Fleshy, slightly branching, with roots up
to 25 cm (10 in.) long;
Plant shape and habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with
basal rosette of leaves emerging from rhizomes producing
a symmetrical mound of very horizontal leaves in youth,
becoming slightly more upright with age;
Plant size: Foliage height about 17 cm (6.7 in.) tall from soil
line to the top of the leaves and about 45 cm (17.7 in.) wide at
the widest point just above soil line;
Foliage description: Lanceolate rounded, acute leaf apex
with attenuate base; rippled or piecrust undulation
along margin; up to 22 cm (8.7 in.) long and 4.5 cm (1.8 in.) wide, average
18 cm (7 in.) long and 2.7 cm (2.8 in.) wide;
Leaf blades: Simple, entire, with undulated margin;
slightly folded up along mid-rib length of leaf;
bilaterally symmetrical; glabrous and dull surface on
top, glabrous and shiny below, variegation pattern
variable with the margin between about 0.5 cm (0.2 in.) (.2 in.) to 1.0 cm (0.4 in.)
wide with some jetting of margin or center color into
the edge or center;
Leaf blade color: Emerging adaxial (top) margin color
between RHS 151B and RHS 151C; emerging abaxial
(underside) margin nearest RHS 151D; emerging center
adaxial between RHS 144A and RHS 144B; emerging abaxial
center nearest RHS 1444B; older leaves later in summer
adaxial margins RHS 11D; older abaxial margins RHS 11D;
older adaxial center nearest RHS 143A and abaxial center
nearest RHS 143A;
Petiole: Entire, glabrous; mostly straight from base of
plant to leaf base, concave center, slightly stiff; up
to 9.0 cm (3.5 in.) long and about 0.7 cm (0.28 in.) wide at base, average
about 4.5 cm (1.8 in.) long and 0.6 cm (0.25 in.) wide;
Petiole color: Identical to leaf blades and changing
with age as in the blade;
Veins: Parallel, slightly raised on abaxial side, 4 to 5
pair;
Veins color: Same as surrounding leaf on both adaxial
and adaxial sides and transition as leaf color through
the season;
Flower description:
Buds one day prior to opening: About 1.2 cm (0.5 in.) diameter at
widest point and 5.0 cm (1.9 in.) long; globose apex with base
narrowing to a diameter of about 4 mm in diameter;
lavender between RHS N82B and RHS N82C in the distal ⅔s
of the bud with the proximal ⅓ nearest RHS 76D with
green tinting lighter than RHS 138D;
Flowers: Funnelform; with broadly flared tepals; 20 to
25 per scape; 3.8 to 4.5 cm (1.8 in.) wide and 5.0 cm (2 in.) to 6.5 cm (2.6 in.) long,
(distal flowers smaller), persists for a normal period,
usually one day on plant or as cut flower; scapes remain
effective with flowers from mid-July to early-August; no
detectable fragrance;
Bracts: Each flower subtended by a single bract to 1.5 cm (0.6 in.) long and 7.0 mm wide decreasing in size distally;
glaucous and glabrous both surfaces, margin entire,
sessile with straight base, apex acute; concaved
supporting flower bud; abaxial color nearest RHS 139B
with a 1.0 mm wide margin of nearest RHS 145C; adaxial
color nearest RHS 144A with a 1.0 mm wide margin of
nearest RHS 145B; color persists beyond flower
senescence;
Tepal: Two sets of three, fused at base; clavate with
obtuse to cuspidate apex; glabrous, entire;
approximately 3.0 cm long and 1.5 cm (0.6 in.) wide; coloring of
both sets identical except outer set of three tepals
with a 1.0 mm wide white margin; medium lavender;
abaxial tepal surface nearest RHS 85D in distal ⅔′s and
much whiter than RHS 85D in proximal third with the
basal 2 to 3 mm darkening to nearest RHS N87C; adaxial
tepals surface nearest RHS N87D darkening near center to
nearest RHS N87C with the basal tube white, three veins
nearest RHS 83B running from almost the tepal apex to
within one third of the way to the base;
Gynoecium: Style: single, 3.5 to 4.0 cm (1.6 in.) long, 1 mm
diameter, curled upward at distal end; color closer to
white than RHS 145D;
Stigma. Globose,
about 1 mm in diameter, near white; nearest RHS 155C.
Androecium: Filaments: six, white, whiter than RHS 155D,
less than 1 mm in diameter and 3.0 cm long;
Anthers: 2
to 3 mm long, 1 mm wide, dehiscent longitudinally;
nearest RHS 158A;
Pollen. Elliptical,
less than 0.1 mm long, nearest RHS 17A.Peduncle: One per mature division; glaucous; glabrous;
without vertical ridges; 80 to 90 degrees from
horizontal; to 54.0 cm (21 in.) tall, and up to 5 mm in diameter at
base; nearest RHS 146C;
Pedicel: Approximately 8 mm long, 2 mm wide; RHS 138 C;
Fruit: Tri-loculicidal capsule, about 2.5 cm (1 in.) to 3.0 cm (1.2 in.) long
and 7 mm diameter; nearest RHS 144A with tinting nearest RHS 186D while maturing to nearest RHN 165C;
Seed: Flattened single-winged nutlet with swollen embryo
at one end; about 8 mm long, 2 mm wide and 1 mm thick at
embryo; nearest RHS 202A;
Disease resistance: Resistance to pests and diseases
beyond that of other
hosta
has not been observed. The plant grows best and shows
best coloration with plenty of moisture, adequate
drainage and light shade, but is able to tolerate some
drought when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 3
through 9, and other disease resistance is typical of
that of other
hostas.
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According to the U.S. government, a new Hosta cultivar is an "invention". Therefore, it is
eligible to receive a patent, just like Edison's electric light
bulb. In the case of hostas and other plants, a patent means
that for the next 20 years, nobody may propagate and sell this
cultivar without providing compensation to the owner of the
patent. This is a different process than registering a Hosta with 
