Species - Hosta clausa
a.k.a. 'Tsubomi Giboshi'

This Korean species is characterized by having a spreading, medium sized (19 inches high) mound of green foliage and the fact that its dark purple flowers remain closed. It spreads by rhizomes and makes a good ground cover. Petioles of this species are covered with reddish purple dots.

H. clausa 'Normalis', according to The Hosta Handbook by Mark Zilis (2000), is the "...same as the species, except that the flowers open normally..."

Taxonomists (people who categorize and name living organisms such as plants) can go into dizzying detail in their arguments over what constitutes a species. However, for most of us, a simple definition is that the plant either currently exists in the wild or there is evidence (fossils, herbaria specimens, etc.) that it once did.

In his investigations, Schmid (1991) found such evidence for 43 species of hostas including the following:

In nature, variations occur within plant species that are not great enough to warrant naming an entire new species. These identifiable variations on the wild species are called varieties. Yes, this term is commonly also used, although incorrectly, to signify what is really a cultivar i.e. cultivated variety.

In addition to the 43 species listed above, Schmid (1991), also listed the following significant botanical varieties (naturally occurring) and forms of the genus Hosta: