◦1. Excellent vigor with rapid production of divisions.

◦2. Leaves are slightly wavy with golden coloration and thick substance.

◦3. Foliage color emerges golden and holds the color well throughout the season.

◦4. Compact habit and useful in the miniature garden, as edging or front border, as a specimen or en masse of the landscape.

◦5. Flowers just above foliage of light purple bells on chartreuse scapes with strong-purple speckling to blushing near base.

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 a nine-year old plant in a partly-shaded garden at a nursery in Raleigh, N.C. with supplement water as needed.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of a typical flower scape.

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 'Sun Mouse’, 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 nine-year-old plant in a garden in Raleigh, N.C. with supplemental water as needed.

   •  Botanical Classification: Hosta x hybrid;
   •  Parentage: Female or seed parent unreleased proprietary hybrid 2005-058 (not patented); male or pollen parent unreleased proprietary hybrid 2004-316 (not patented);

   •    Propagation: Garden division and sterile plant tissue culture;

   •  Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About two to three weeks;

   •  Growth rate: Vigorous;

   •  Crop time: About three months to finish during the spring in a one-liter container from rooted tissue culture plantlet;

   •  Rooting habit: Fleshy, slightly branching;

   •  Plant shape and habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with basal rosette of leaves emerging from rhizomes producing a short, compact, symmetrical mound of small upright to arching leaves;

   •  Plant size: Foliage height about 15.0 cm (1.9 in.) above soil line to the top of the leaves and about 30.0 cm wide at the widest point just above soil line;

   •    Foliage description: Glabrous, glaucous adaxial, slightly lustrous abaxial; oblong to oval; acuminate apex, oblique to cordate base; margin entire; slightly sinuate with three to five undulations;

   •  Leaf blade size: About 7.6 cm long and 5.1 cm wide;

   •  Leaf blade color: Early season and expanding adaxial variable with light exposure, from nearest RHS N144A and RHS 151D to RHS 144A; early season abaxial between RHS N144A and RIM 145A; mid-season and later summer adaxial variable with light intensity, from nearest RHS 144A to nearest RHS 151D; mid-season and later adaxial lighter than RHS 146D to nearest RHS 144A;

   •  Petiole: Glabrous, slightly glaucous adaxial and slightly lustrous abaxial, concavo-convex; stiff; 7.6 cm to 11.4 cm (0.6 in.) long and 8.0 to 9.5 mm wide at base, average about 6.5 cm (2.6 in.) long and 9.0 mm wide;

   •  Petiole color: Adaxial and abaxial margins blend between RHS 146D and RHS N144A with purplish speckling at base of nearest RHS 83C; abaxial midrib of nearest 145D;

   •  Veins: Five to seven pairs and midrib; parallel; slightly raised on abaxial side;

   •  Veins color: Adaxial vary between nearest RHS 144A and RHS 144C depending on light exposure; abaxial veins nearest RHS 144A to the same color as the surrounding tissue;

   •    Flower description:

   •  Inflorescence: Raceme; average about 20.0 cm (7.9 in.) tall; flowering portion about 6.0 cm (2.4 in.) long and 4.5 cm (1.8 in.) wide;

   •  Buds one day prior to opening: Clavate to globose with rounded apex and narrow base; about 0.8 cm (.31 in.) in diameter at widest with base narrowing at about mid-length to about 0.4.0 cm (1.6 in.) diameter; about 2.3 cm (1.2 in.) long;

   •  Bud color: Between blend RHS 85A and RHS 91B and RHS 91C with veins of nearest RHS 85C;

   •    Flowers: Perfect; single; perianth shape campanulate funnelform; held nearly horizontal with pedicel at 90 degree angle to peduncle; corolla tube about 2.5 cm (1.0 in.) wide and 3.5 cm (1.4 in.) long, (distal flowers smaller), persists for a normal period, usually one day on plant or as cut flower; scapes remain effective with flowers beginning early June for about two weeks; with about 20 flowers per scape; no detectable fragrance;

   •  Tepal: Two nearly identical sets of three, glabrous, entire margins; fused at base; clavate with broadly acute apex; each approximately 2.8 cm (3.1 in.) long and 1.0 cm (0.4 in.) wide;

   •  Tepal color: Coloring of both sets identical except inner set with 1.0 mm wide translucent margin; abaxial basal one third (corolla tube) near white, lighter than RHS 155D, abaxial center to apex lighter than RHS N82D with veins of nearest RHS N82C; adaxial basal one quarter white, lighter than RHS 155D, adaxial distal three quarters nearest RHS N82C with three main veins of nearest RHS N82A;

   •  Gynoecium: Single;
Style. Single, terete; approximately 3.0 cm long, 1.2 mm diameter, curved upward slightly in distal 2.0 mm; color nearest RHS 155D distally with base nearest RHS 145A.

Stigma. Tri-lobed, about 1.0 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 155D.

   •  Androecium:
Filaments. Six, approximately 3.0 cm long and 1.0 mm in diameter, curved upward to nearly 90 degrees in the apical 4.0 mm; color nearest RHS 155D.

Anthers. Elliptic; dorsifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; about 2.5 to 3.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide; color between RHS N199A and RHS N199B.

Pollen. Elliptic, less than 0.1 mm long; color nearest RHS 16A.

   •  Peduncle: Usually one per mature division; glaucous, glabrous; nearly vertical; about 25.0 cm (1.9 in.) tall, and about 4.5 mm in diameter at base;

   •  Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 144A with speckled to blushed with nearly solid strong-purple nearest RHS 83C in the lower portion;

   •  Pedicel: Short, glabrous; slightly glaucous; terete; about 10.0 mm long and 1.3 mm diameter;

   •  Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 160C with tinting of nearest RHS 182A;

   •  Scape and floral bracts: Each flower normally subtended by a single bract with one or two below lowest flower; lanceolate; acute apex and truncate base; entire margin; glabrous matte surface abaxial and adaxial; decreasing in size distally; average about 10.0 cm long 5.5 mm wide; attitude outright;

   •  Bract color: Adaxial and abaxial blend nearest RHS 144A with speckling of nearest RHS 182A in high light exposure;

   •    Fruit: Not yet observed;

   •    Seed: Not observed; probably sterile under present growing conditions;

   •    Disease resistance: The new plant has not shown any resistance to pests and diseases common to hostas. 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, and tolerates direct sun without leaf burn, especially during the cooler parts of the day and when provided sufficient water. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 3a through 8b, and other disease resistance is typical of that of other hostas.