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Asparagaceae FAMILY

Hosta plantaginae

Hosta plantaginae

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

One report suggests the plant may be poisonous[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Thrives in most fertile soils if they are rich in humus[2]. Grows well in heavy clay soils and in sandy ones[3]. Very limy soils inhibit growth, but plants can thrive in such a situation if plenty of humus is added[3]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7[2]. Requires a rich soil that does not dry out readily[4]. Succeeds in full sun as well as in deep shade, growing well in the semi-shade of a woodland[2, 5]. In general, the sunnier the position the moister the soil should be[5]. Plants are best not grown under trees in town gardens since the soot washed from the leaves of the trees in wet weather will tend to remain on the hosta[3]. Plants flower better when grown in a sunny position but the foliage is better when the plant is in a shady position[2]. This species tolerates quite a lot of sun[6]. Plants are in general fully hardy in Britain, but young leaves in spring can be destroyed by frost. New leaves are only produced in the spring and very early summer, so any damage at this time has a deep effect on the plant[5]. The plant forms open clumps[2]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[5]. Plants are very attractive to slugs and snails, the young shoots in spring are especially at risk[7, PFAF]. A very ornamental plant[4], there are some named varieties[6]. The flowers open in the evening[8] and have a delicious lily-like fragrance[5]. The plant only flowers well when grown in a warm position[5], and is not really satisfactory when grown in most areas north of London[9].. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[2].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 10°c. Make sure you keep the compost moist. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division is possible at almost any time of the year so long as there is sufficient moisture[5]. It is best carried out in early spring as growth commences or in early autumn if the soil is not too dry[2]. Hostas can be left undivided for many years and should not be divided any more frequently than once every 3 - 5 years to allow the leaves to reach maturity[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Hosta+plantaginae>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Chinese Materia Medica. — Stuart. Rev. G. A. · Taipei. Southern Materials Centre · 1911 · ISBN - ↩︎A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Plants for Ground Cover — Thomas. G. S. · J. M. Dent & Sons · 1990 · ISBN 0-460-12609-1 ↩︎An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.
  4. [4]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  5. [5]Perennial Garden Plants — Thomas. G. S. · J. M. Dent & Sons, London. · 1990 · ISBN 0 460 86048 8 ↩︎A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
  6. [6]Perennials. Volumes 1 and 2. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1991 · ISBN 0-330-30936-9 ↩︎Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
  7. [7]Popular Hardy Perennials. — Sanders. T. W. · Collingridge · 1926 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
  8. [8]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  9. [9]The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hostas — Grenfell. Diana · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · 1996 · ISBN 0-7153-0431-3 ↩︎Excellent cover of the genus, though it concentrates mainly on the cultivars and does not go much into plant uses.
  10. [10]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  11. [11]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  13. [13]Medicinal Plants of China — Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. · Reference Publications, Inc. · 1985 · ISBN 0-917256-20-4 ↩︎Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
  14. [14]Ground Cover Plants. — Royal Horticultural Society. · Cassells. · 1989 · ISBN 0-304-31089-1 ↩︎A handy little booklet from the R.H.S.
  15. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎