This is another of the plants that was long thought to be a species, H. fortunei, but was reclassified to cultivar status in The Genus Hosta by W. George Schmid (1991) and is correctly known as H. 'Fortunei'. It was named for the plant explorer, Robert Fortune.

The actual plant really does not exist anymore. At least most sources say that the only remnants are the many named cultivars but none is the true H. 'Fortunei'. The "type" would be a medium to large size hosta with medium green foliage. Its ovate shaped leaves have above average substance and a thin bluish bloom on the underside. This hosta bears funnel shaped, pale lavender flowers in July.

According to The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), hostas that should be included in this category have common characteristics such as "...(1) number of vein pairs (9-10); (2) leaf underside (covered in thin bloom); (3) flowering habits (narrow funnel-shaped, pale lavender color, scapes well above the leaf mound, and opening from mid-July into August; (4) mound size (medium-large); and (5) pod formation (limited). Most H. 'Fortunei'-types also possess a fairly fast growth rate, making them suitable for landscaping and they tend to readily mutate in the garden and under tissue culture propagation."

Nomenclature changes recommended in the 1991 book The Genus Hosta by W. George Schmid and accepted by The American Hosta Society would update names as follows: H. fortunei is now H. 'Fortunei'.

In an article about hybridizing by Tony Avent in The Hosta Journal (1996 Vol. 27 No. 1),  Tony gives the following comments on cultivars he has introduced: "H. 'White Wall Tire' - the most talked about hosta in our garden...seedling of H. 'Outhouse Delight'...makes a large H. 'Fortunei' like clump of white-frosted leaves...very vigorous...coming soon to a catalog near you."

An article about name changes by W. George Schmid in The Hosta Journal (2004 Vol. 35 No.3) says, "H. fortunei is in fact no longer recognized as a species...It is of cultivated origin and does not exist as a wild population, so I reclassified it as the cultivar H. 'Fortunei'."