This H. ventricosa seedling was registered in 1993 by Mary Chastain of Lakeside Acres Nursery in Tennessee. It grows into a large size hosta about 22 inches in height and 4 feet in width with leaves that are deeply lobed at the base, slightly rippled and of better than average substance. The bell-shaped, medium purple flowers bloom in late July.

According to The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), "...one of the most widely grown and well-known of the Lakeside series."

The New Encyclopedia of Hostas by Diana Grenfell (2009) states: "First of the "black-leaved hostas".