BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a
new and distinct cultivar of Hosta, botanically known as Hosta hybrid
and hereinafter referred to by the
name 'Secret Ambition'.
The new Hosta is a
naturally-occurring whole plant
mutation of the Hosta hybrid
cultivar 'Secret Love', not patented.
The new Hosta was discovered and
selected by the Inventor in a
controlled greenhouse environment in
Barneveld, The Netherlands during
the spring of 2004.
Asexual reproduction of the new Hosta by divisions in a controlled
environment in Barneveld, The
Netherlands since July, 2006, has
shown that the unique features of
this new Hosta are stable and
reproduced true to type in
successive generations.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The cultivar 'Secret Ambition' has not
been observed under all possible
environmental conditions. The
phenotype may vary somewhat with
variations in environment and
cultural practices such as
temperature and light intensity
without, however, any variance in
genotype.
The following traits have been
repeatedly observed and are
determined to be the unique
characteristics of 'Secret Ambition'. These characteristics in
combination distinguish 'Secret Ambition' as a new and distinct
cultivar of Hosta:
1. Broadly spreading foliage
with upright flower scapes.
2. Green and light green
variegated foliage.
3. Light violet to
white-colored flowers that are
positioned above the foliage on
strong scapes.
4. Good garden performance.
Plants of the new Hosta differ from
plants of the parent, the cultivar
Secret Love, primarily in leaf
coloration as leaves of plants of
the new Hosta have a broader light
green-colored edge than leaves of
plants of the cultivar Secret Love.
Plants of the new Hosta can be
compared to plants of the cultivar
Sweet Innocence, not patented. In
side-by-side comparisons conducted
in Barneveld, The Netherlands,
plants of the new Hosta and the
cultivar Sweet Innocence differed
primarily in leaf coloration as
plants of the cultivar Sweet
Innocence had light green and pale
yellow variegated foliage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS
The accompanying colored photographs
illustrate the overall appearance of
the new Hosta, showing the colors as
true as it is reasonably possible to
obtain in colored reproductions of
this type. Colors in the photographs
may differ slightly from the color
values cited in the DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION which
accurately describe the colors of
the new Hosta.
The photograph on the first sheet
comprises a side perpsective view of
a typical flowering plant of 'Secret Ambition' grown in a container.
The photograph at the top of the
second sheet is a close-up view of
the upper surfaces of typical
developing (left) and fully expanded
(right) leaves of 'Secret Ambition'.
The photograph at the bottom of the
second sheet is a close-up view of
the lower surfaces of typical
developing (left) and fully expanded
(right) leaves of 'Secret Ambition'.
DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The aforementioned photographs and
following observations, measurements
and values describe plants grown in
containers in Barneveld, The
Netherlands, under commercial
practice during the late summer in
an outdoor nursery with day
temperatures ranging from 14° C. to
35° C. and night temperatures
ranging from 5° C. to 18° C. Plants
had been growing for about 14 months
when the photographs and description
were taken. In the following
description, color references are
made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition,
except where general terms of
ordinary dictionary significance are
used.
+ Botanical Classification: Hosta hybrid cultivar
Secret Ambition.
+ Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant
mutation of the
Hosta hybrid
cultivar
Secret Love, not patented.
• Propagation:
- Type: By divisions.
- Root description: Medium
thickness, fibrous; creamy white in
color.
- Rooting habit: Moderate
branching.
• Plant description:
- Plant form/habit: Herbaceous
flowering perennial plant. Mounded
plant form with broadly spreading
foliage with upright flower scapes.
Flowering stems and leaves basal;
moderately vigorous growth habit.
Light violet to white-colored
flowers are positioned above the
foliage on strong scapes.
- Growth rate: Moderately
fast; about one year are required to
produce fully-grown flowering
plants.
- Plant height (soil level to
top of foliar plane): About 15 cm (5.9 in.) .
- Plant height (soil level to
top of inflorescences): About 40 cm (15.7 in.) .
- Plant width (spread): About
30 cm (11.8 in.) .
• Foliage description:
- Arrangement/form: Leaves
basal, simple, generally symmetrical
and long-persisting.
- Leaf length: About 9 cm (3.5 in.) to
12 cm (4.7 in.) .
- Leaf width: About 4.5 cm (1.8 in.) to
8.5 cm (3.3 in.) .
- Shape: Cordate.
- Apex: Cuspidate.
- Base: Truncate to rounded.
- Margin: Entire.
- Texture, upper and lower
surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;
leathery; moderately rugose.
- Venation pattern: Pinnate,
arcuate.
- Color: Developing leaves,
upper surface: Center, close to
191A; towards the margins, close to
144A to 144B. Developing leaves,
lower surface: Center, close to
191B; towards the margins, close to
144B. Fully expanded leaves, upper
surface: Center, close to 137A, 137B
and/or 137C; towards the margins,
close to 160C to 160D; venation,
similar to lamina. Fully expanded
leaves, lower surface: Center, close
to 191A; towards the margins, more
green than 160D; venation, similar
to lamina.
- Petiole length: About 6.0 cm (2.4 in.)
to 10 cm (4 in.). (3.9 in.)
- Petiole diameter: About 6 mm
to 8 mm.
- Petiole texture, upper and
lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous.
- Petiole color, upper
surface: Close to 137C; towards the
margins, 144C.
- Petiole color, lower
surface: Close to 144A to 144B;
towards the margins, 144C.
• Flower description:
- Flower type/habit: Numerous
single campanulate flowers with
fused perianth arranged on terminal
racemes; flowers face outward or
slightly downward. Panicles roughly
conical in shape. Freely flowering
habit with about 15 flowers
developing per inflorescence.
- Fragrance: Faintly to
moderately fragrant; sweet,
pleasant.
- Natural flowering
season: Recurrent flowering
throughout the summer in The
Netherlands.
- Postproduction
longevity: Flowers last about one
week on the plant. Flowers not
persistent.
-
Flower Buds: Height: About 1.0 cm (0.4 in.) to 3 cm (1.2 in.) . Diameter: About 6 mm to
11 mm. Shape: Ovate. Color: Close to
145B to 145D.
- Inflorescence height: About
12 cm (4.7 in.) to 7.0 cm (2.8 in.) .
- Inflorescence
diameter: About 12 cm (4.7 in.) to 7.0 cm (2.8 in.) .
- Flower diameter: About 4.0 cm (1.6 in.) .
- Flower depth: About 5 cm (2 in.) .
- Perianth: Arrangement: Three
interior tepals arranged in a single
whorl surrounded by an outer whorl
of three exterior tepals. Tepal
length: About 2.0 cm (0.8 in.) to 2.5 cm (1.0 in.) . Tepal
width: About 1.0 cm (0.4 in.) to 1.8 cm (3.1 in.) . Tepal
shape: Ovate. Tepal apex: Acute.
Tepal margin: Entire. Tepal texture,
upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,
glabrous; satiny. Tepal color:
Developing and fully expanded
petals, upper surface: Close to
between 85D and N155A. Developing
and fully expanded petals, lower
surface: Close to 85D.
- Flower bracts: Quantity: One
per flower at the base of the
pedicel. Length: About 1.5 cm (0.6 in.) .
Width: About 5 mm. Shape: Ovate.
Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin:
Entire. Texture, upper and lower
surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color,
upper and lower surfaces: Towards
the base, close to 145D; towards the
apex, 145B.
- Peduncles (scapes): Length:
About 35 cm (13.7 in.) to 40 cm (15.7 in.) . Diameter:
About 4 mm to 5 mm. Angle: Erect.
Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth,
glabrous. Color: Close to 146B.
- Pedicels: Length: About 1.2 cm (0.5 in.) to 1.4 cm (0.6 in.) . Diameter: About 2 mm.
Strength: Moderately strong.
Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color:
Close to 146B.
-
Reproductive organs: Stamens: Quantity per
flower: Typically six; anthers
dorsifixed. Filament length: About
5.5 cm (2.1 in.) . Filament color: Close to
155D. Anther shape: Narrowly oblong.
Anther length: About 5 mm. Anther
color: Close to 199B to 199C. Pollen
amount: Moderate. Pollen color:
Close to 160A.
- Pistils: Quantity per
flower: One. Stigma shape: Lobed.
Stigma color: Close to 155D. Style
length: About 5.5 cm (2.1 in.) . Style color:
Close to 155D. Ovary length: About 8
mm to 10 mm. Ovary color: Close to
145B.
- Seed/
Fruit: Seed and fruit
development have not been observed.
• Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Hosta have not
been noted to be resistant to
pathogens and pests common to Hosta.
• Garden performance: Plants
of the new Hosta have been observed
to have good garden performance and
tolerate rain, wind and high
temperatures of about 35° C. Plants
of the new Hosta have been observed
to be hardy to USDA Zone 5.