Hosta 'Crispula'
a.k.a Sazanami Gibōshi & formerly H. crispula

This large size (24 inches high by 20 inches wide) hosta of unidentified parentage was originated by Dr. Fumio Maekawa of Japan. He named it as a species, Hosta crispula but George Schmid in his 1991 book reduced it to cultivar status. It was registered by The American Hosta Society in 2001 on behalf of the originator, Dr Maekawa as a H. montana type of hosta.

'Crispula' is noted for a slow growth rate. It has medium to dark green foliage with white marginal variegation. The leaves are shiny on top and wavy with a twisted tip. Near white, funnel shaped flowers bloom from June into July. It sets viable seeds.

This cultivar has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in the UK.

According to The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), "Though known for more than one hundred years, 'Crispula' continues to be an outstanding choice as a white-edged cultivar for landscaping purposes. It has a distinctive appearance and a good show of flowers as well as a good growth rate...it has become apparent that 'Dewline' and 'Crispula' are the same plant."

In the The Hosta Handbook by Mark Zilis (2000), noted that this plant has been known as H. 'Dr. Jamison Harrison' in the past. It may also have been sold as 'Mackwoods No. 4'.

The New Encyclopedia of Hostas by Diana Grenfell (2009) states: "Slow to establish and difficult to propagate. The "true" H. 'Crispula' is less often seen in cultivation since the 1960s and is used very little as a breeding plant, although its descendent, H. 'Rocky Mountain High', is one of the few exceptions. Prone to virus infection...The leaves twist 180 degrees. Decorative, flowerlike bracts extend the length of the scape."



An article about H. 'Undulata' and its origins by Bob Solberg in The Hosta Journal (1996 Vol. 27 No. 1) states that, "H. 'Crispula' is an interspecific hybrid of H. sieboldii x H. montana collected from the wild in Japan and not a mutation of H. montana alone. The most compelling evidence is that leaf vein count is intermediate between H. montana and H. sieboldii and the pollen type of H. 'Crispula' and H. sieboldii is identical...While the data presented here strongly support these conclusions, they do not provide absolute proof. DNA testing of these cultivars would prove very interesting."






3 8.0
1975 #3
1984 #6
1985 #15      









 

 

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