Hostas species originated in Asia generally between 30 and 45 degrees latitude. This map shows the equivalent areas in the United States where hostas are usually grown.

The major hosta species as defined by W. George Schmid in his 1991 book, The Genus Hosta: Giboshi Zoku, originated in Japan, Korea and China. Englebert Kaempfer (1651-1716) was the first Westerner to visit Japan and make drawings of the plant we now know as hosta although he did not bring any plants back to Europe. He was followed by the Swedish plant explorer, Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1828) who visited Japan in 1775.  A student of Linnaeus, he sent herbarium specimens back to Sweden which included H. lancifolia and 'Undulata'.

Hostas were first grown in Europe from seeds sent from China to France before 1784. They were planted in the Jarden des Plantes in Paris. The first species was the fragrant, H. plantaginea which were know at the time as Hemerocallis plantaginea. In 1790, H. plantaginea and H. ventricosa were first imported to England.

Of all the famous plant explorers, the name of Phillip von Siebold (1796-1866) is probably most associated with the genus, Hosta. This German medical doctor went to Japan in 1823 and began his botanical explorations in addition to his work as a surgeon. Among the many plants he discovered in the wild were H. tibae, H. longissima, H. lancifolia, H. 'Undulata',  and  H. 'Crispula'. Upon his return, he became the first European to cultivate hostas that originated in Japan. Two of the species he brought were named in his honor, Hosta sieboldii and Hosta sieboldiana (now H. 'Sieboldiana').

A second trip to Japan in 1860-62 resulted in the introduction of H. 'Tokudama', H. 'Undulata Univittata', H. 'Fortunei Albopicta', H. 'Undulata Erromena', H. 'Fortunei Aurea', H. 'Crispula Lutescens', H. 'Fortunei Hyacinthina', H. 'Fortunei Gigantea' and H. 'Fortunei Aoki' to Europe.

Another English plant explorer who is prominent in the hosta world is Robert Fortune (1812-1880). He started at the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh and was sent on his first plant expedition to China and Japan in 1860 where he met von Siebold. During that meeting, he was given a plant which became known as the species, Funkia fortunei and later H. forutnei before it was transferred to cultivar status by Schmid 1991 as H. 'Fortunei'.