SUMMARY, BACKGROUND, AND ORIGIN OF INVENTION
The new variety of Hosta is a tissue culture derived
sport of the cultivar Hosta 'Hadspen Blue', named Hosta
'Aristocrat', and hereinafter also called "the plant." I
discovered the plant as a mutation of a stock plant of 'Hadspen Blue' growing in a tissue culture propagation laboratory
at a
nursery in Zeeland, Mich. USA. The mutation was not
intentionally induced, and no mutagen was used. The
initial sport, found in June of 1992, was of a sectorial
chimera nature. In April of 1993 one of these plants had
stabilized to produce a periclinal chimera variegation
with a cream margin.
Hosta 'Hadspen Blue' is a hybrid of the late
Eric Smith
of Southampton, England. It is a cross between Hosta 'Tardiflora' (unpatented) ×
Hosta
sieboldiana, and was originally given the cross number
of "2 × 7", known for its very blue leaf color. Although
other hybrids of Eric Smith's have produced variegated
sports, this is the only one from the stock of Hosta 'Hadspen Blue' (unpatented). Such sports include Hosta 'June' (unpatented) and Hosta 'Sleeping Beauty' (unpatented),
both from 'Halcyon' (unpatented); also 'Blueberries and
Cream' (unpatented) from 'Dorset Blue' (unpatented).
I have asexually propagated the plant successfully by
both tissue culture and division of the rhizome and
produced plants with the same characteristics of the
original plant. Following the tissue culture procedures
developed and improved by me at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich., the plant has been successfully asexually
reproduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the plant in early spring at a very young
stage with the yellow-green colored margins.
FIG. 2 shows a close up of three single leaves with the
margin, inside and intermediate colors.
FIG. 3 shows a close-up of several leaves of the plant.
FIG. 4 shows the plant at an early summer stage and the
difference in margin color between new leaves just
emerging and leaves that have been open longer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
- Hosta 'Hadspen Blue' is a densely rhizomatous herbaceous
perennial with short subterranean stems and petioled,
tufted leaves. The leaves are nearly round with a
sharply pointed apex and auriculate leaf base. Hosta 'Hadspen Blue' has a very glaucous surface producing a blue
effect. The leaves produce a clump reaching 16 to l8
inches in height (40.6 to 45.7 cm) and 24 to 36 inches
in width (61 to 91.4 cm (0.6 in.) ). Each leaf blade measures 6.5
to 7.5 inches long (16.5 to 19 cm (3.5 in.) ) by 5.5 to 6.5 inches
wide (14 to 19 cm (3.5 in.) ) at maturity. Plants may take five to
seven years to reach full mature characteristics. In
this time the leaves become larger, more rounded, and seersuckered or dimpled. The number of leaf vein pairs
increases to a maximum of 12 on either side of the
mid-rib.
-
Flowers are a light lavender with a clear rim. They are
held very tightly together on scapes 18 cm (7 in.) to 20 inches
(45.7 to 50.8 cm (.31 in.) ) tall. Each flower is about 1.75 to 2
inches (4.4 to 5.1 cm) long and about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm (3.1 in.) ) wide. In west Michigan the flowers usually appear
about the third week of July and last for about three
weeks.
-
The new variety, Hosta 'Aristocrat', is unique from
Hosta 'Hadspen Blue' in that it has a wide variegated
margin. All color references are given according to
The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart. The margin
starts off in the early spring as a Yello-Green 144 B
using The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, and
progressively lightens to a Yellow 10 A to 9 C and
finally a 10 D or lighter depending on how much light
and/or heat the plant gets as it grows. The center
starts out about a Green 141 B and becomes more blue to
a 122 A or bluer. There are also some different colors
between the margin and center portion of the leaf. These
are formed from the uneven folding of the outer histogenic layer (L 1) over the inner layer (L 2)
producing some intermediate colors of Blue-Green 122 C
and near a Green 151 B. The wax can be washed off
revealing a Green 137 A. The underside of the leaf is
also glaucous producing a lighter blue in the area of
Blue-Green 122 C. These colors may vary depending on
environmental and growing conditions. Normally, hostas
are grown with some shade. If the plant is grown in more
sun to nearly full sun, the leaf colors will change more
rapidly in the spring and may bleach out to a very light
yellow green in the center and near white to white
margin. The plant typically has petioles measuring 10 to
14 inches (25 to 35 cm (13.7 in.) ) long. This varies with location
in a clump, maturity, plant health shade intensities and
night and day temperatures and the differences between
day and night.
-
The flowers of Hosta 'Aristocrat' are essentially like
those of Hosta 'Hadspen Blue'. Each division has at most
one scape measuring 18 cm (7 in.) to 20 inches (45.7 to 50.8 cm)
tall, and may have as many as 24 to 36 funnel-form
flowers depending on health of the plant. There are six tepals arranged in two sets of three. The individual
tepals are sharply eliptical, 5/16 to 3/8 inch wide and
11/2 to 17/8 long and fused at about their mid-point.
Tepal color is near a group 85 D and 84C violet in the
middle one third of the tepal surrounded by a white
portion with a thin one to two millimeters clear ring.
The calyx is 1.75 to 2 inches (4.4 to 5.1 cm) long and
about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide. There is no notable
fragrance of the flower. A day before anthesis the bud
is about 11/4 to 11/2 inches (3.0 to 3.5 cm) ) long and
about 1/2 inch (1.0 cm) in diameter. Each flower is
subtended by a single bract 1 to 11/4 inches (2.5 cm) to 3.0 cm) long by 1/2 inch (1.0 cm) wide, in the green group
about 137D to 139B and held on a pedicle. Each flower
has six stamens held on filaments slightly shorter than
the tepals and style and curved to nearly 90 degrees at
the distal end. Fruit is a three carpeled capsule about
1 inch (2.5 cm) long depending on fertilization. There
are about six to 15 single-winged black seed per carpel.
The light lavender flower is near a Violet group 85 D
and 84 C (using The Royal Horticultural Colour Chart).
Like the leaf color, the flowers may vary in intensity
based on the growing conditions, fertilizer, and
environmental conditions. For example, plants grown in
areas with more intense heat or less sun tend to produce
plants with less pigment.
- Hosta 'Aristocrat' is like Hosta 'Hadspen Blue' in all
other ways, similar leaf size and shape, identical clump
size and shape, and the same hardiness and disease
tolerance. The plant is hardy to at least zone 3 on the
USDA hardiness chart, and is slightly susceptible to
some slugs and snails as are most hostas. The plant does
not appear to have any altered ploidy state and would
contain the normal diploid chromosome number of 60n for
hostas.
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