| Neutral | lmelling | On Jan 14, 2005, lmelling from Ithaca, NY (Zone 5b) wrote: Because photos and descriptions of this particular hosta did not seem to match and was extremely confusing, I took the opportunity to write to W. George Schmid of the AHS, who provided the information below for the actual species. He told me in his letter that so-called H. aequinoctiiantha plants in the trade many not be that species because incorrect descriptions based on these plants point to that. Thanks to Mr. Schmid for the following description of the species:
H. aequinoctiiantha@r Koidzumi ex Araki 1942.
AHS–IV/19A.
(Figure 3–1; Plate D–14).
(Kanji No. 189).
Ohigan Giboshi, the ``hosta of the equinox,'' was collected by Kitamura at Yoro-mura in Gifu Prefecture of Central Honshu in 1941. It grows on rocky ledges and outcrops and blooms two to three weeks later than H. longipes, around the time of the autumnal equinox, September 22, hence the name. Similar to H. longipes, but smaller, it has thin, papery leaves, fewer principal veins, and a more undulate leaf surface and margin. Fujita considered it a variety of H. longipes as H. longipes var. aequinoctiiantha. Hosta `Iwa Soules' Horinaka cultivated in North America has thicker leaves and blooms a little earlier, but is otherwise very similar to the species and may represent one of the many clones existing among the wild, polymorphic population. Available, but rarely seen, it is a collectors' item.
Plant size 35–40 cm dia., 30 cm high (14–16 by 12 in.). Petiole 12.5–17.5 by 0.3 cm (5–7 by 0.125 in. wide) erect, green, purple-dotted, starting at leaf base, becoming progressively darker towards ground. Leaf 7.5–12.5 by 5 cm (3–5 by 2 in.), erect and in line with petiole, entire, oval-ovate, petiole transition rounded, truncate, smooth, wavy, membranous, thin; tip acuminate, cuspidate; green to dark green above, lighter, opaque green below. Venation 4–5, sunken above, very projected, smooth below. Scape 25–45 cm (10–18 in.), straight, but bending obliquely, purple-dotted entire length, smooth round. Fertile bracts 1 cm long (0.3 in.) navicular, thin, membranous, white or whitish green, purple-tinted, imbricated, not withering. Raceme 15–20 cm (6–8 in.), 10–20 flowers. Flowers pale purple, held erect in horizontal position on long, strong horizontal or slightly ascending purple pedicels, perianth 5 cm (2 in.) long, funnel-shaped, expanding, in the central part dilated bell-shaped, lobes spreading straightly to @+angled to the axis of perianth, thin narrow hexagonal tube. Anthers purple, uniformly dotted. September/October. Fertile.
SY: H. longipes var. aequinoctiiantha Fujita 1976a na.
H. okamotoi Fujita 1976a sl na.
HN: H. `Iwa' hort. pp sim.
JN: Ohigan Giboshi Koidzumi 1942.
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