This
is another of the plants that was long thought to be
a species, H. fortunei, but was reclassified
to cultivar status in
The Genus Hosta by W. George Schmid (1991) and is correctly known
as H. 'Fortunei'. It was named for the plant explorer,
Robert Fortune.
The actual plant really does not
exist anymore. At least most sources say that the only remnants
are the many named cultivars but none is the true H. 'Fortunei'.
The "type" would be a medium to large size hosta with medium green
foliage. Its ovate shaped leaves have above average substance
and a thin bluish bloom on the underside. This hosta bears
funnel shaped, pale lavender flowers in July.
According to
The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), hostas that should be included in this category have
common characteristics such as "...(1) number of
vein pairs (9-10); (2) leaf underside (covered in
thin bloom); (3) flowering habits (narrow
funnel-shaped, pale lavender color, scapes well
above the leaf mound, and opening from mid-July into
August; (4) mound size (medium-large); and (5) pod
formation (limited). Most H. 'Fortunei'-types also
possess a fairly fast growth rate, making them
suitable for landscaping and they tend to readily
mutate in the garden and under tissue culture propagation."
Nomenclature changes recommended in the 1991 book
The Genus Hosta by
W. George Schmid and accepted by The American Hosta Society would update
names as follows: H. fortunei is now H. 'Fortunei'.
An article by Warren I. Pollock in
The
Hosta Journal (1985 Vol. 16) states that, "There is
probably no group in the genus Hosta that is more complex and perplexing, and
with more puzzling nomenclature, than H. fortunei ."
In an article about hybridizing by
Tony Avent in
The
Hosta Journal (1996 Vol. 27 No. 1), Tony gives the
following comments on cultivars he has introduced: "H. 'White Wall Tire' - the
most talked about hosta in our garden...seedling of H. 'Outhouse Delight'...makes a large H. 'Fortunei' like clump of white-frosted leaves...very
vigorous...coming soon to a catalog near you."
An article about name changes by W. George Schmid in
The
Hosta Journal (2004 Vol. 35 No.3) says, "H. fortunei is
in fact no longer recognized as a species...It is of cultivated origin and does
not exist as a wild population, so I reclassified it as the cultivar H.
'Fortunei'."
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