Plantain Lily
Growth habit
Herbaceous
Perennation
Long-lived polycarpic perennial
Location
Source of plant
Steve Chamberlain
Description
Plant: 84 in. (213.4 cm.) diamater; 36 in. (91.4 cm.) highl; upright; medium growth rate. Leaf: 15.5 in. (39.4 cm.) long; 9 in. 22.9 cm) wide; 14 vein prs; med. green; slightly rippled; dull on top; glaucous bloom under-neath; ovate; cordate base; lightly wavy; lightly corrugated; med. green petiole. Scape: 35 to 53 in. (88.9 to 134.6 cm.) long; med. green. Flower: 2.25 in. (5.7 cm.) long; near white; tubular; Manlius, NY: 6/20 – 7/15 – 7/23. Seed: sets seeds viability is unknown; med. green. Clump History: original seedling; 11 yrs old; Manlius, NY. Notable Characteristics: extremely lrg. Vase-shaped, med. grn. [Parentage unknown] Additional Registration Information: This seedling resulted from a two-way cross between H. sieboldiana (H. ‘Frances Williams) and H. montana (H. montana 'Aureomarginata’). Unfortunately, the seeds from the two pod parents were mixed before being germinated, so the parentage is lost. H. ‘David F. Mahoney’ resulted from this same cross. All of these seedlings showed either predominantly H. montana or H. sieboldiana form. This particular seedling was planted between a yew and H. ‘Royal Standard’ which made it a secondary target for being browsed by deer for the past 5 years. This growing season, the urban deer problem has been, at least temporarily, solved so the full mammoth size of this plant could be appreciated. Only H. ‘David F. Mahoney’ is larger in the collection at Academy Gardens. The high falutin, bigger-than-life name makes reference to the fact that this hosta is much bigger than expected for a hosta. A low-brow translation of the name would be H. ‘Giant Green’.
USDA Hardiness Zone
5