There is
still some controversy over
the status and name of this hosta type.
Schmid (1991) determined that it should be given cultivar and not
species status [See Below]. Thus the name
H. 'Lancifolia'.
The Hosta Handbook by
Mark Zilis (2000) argues that it is, in fact, a species and should
therefore be known as Hosta lancifolia.
Note:
Hosta Helper
will use the format suggested by Zilis.
Historically called the "Narrow-leaved Plantainlily",
H. 'Lancifolia' is one of the most
widely grown of all the hostas. It was originally introduced
into the United States from China in the late 1800's.
It forms a medium sized (16
inches high) mound of lance shaped, smooth textured foliage with
thin substance. The flowers are medium lavender and bloom on
numerous scapes in mid-August to September."
According to
The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis
(2009), "...has many desirable
characteristics, including a fast growth rate, a symmetrical
mound habit, decent foliage, and a good late-season show of
flowers. For those very reasons, however, it has been vastly
overused during the last one-hundred years. There are now
thousands of hostas with better substance, more exciting
foliage, and better flowers so most hosta collectors ignore this
workhorse of the shade garden."
