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 An article by Herb Benedict in
The
Hosta Journal (1991 Vol. 22 No. 1) states that, "The
plant that impresses me most in the fall is H. rupifraga
'Urajiro', with its
beautiful deep purple bells. It was imported from Japan by
Hideko Gowen and
obtained from Mr. Nigishi. It has 6 inch wide, very thick green leaves, a white
back and 9 pairs of veins. Robert Harris, of Stone Mountain,
Georgia, and I have
the only divisions distributed of this plant.
There is also a second plant
with the same name. It has narrower leaves, lighter colored blossoms with some
ruffling. It, too, has a white back and 9 pairs o veins...to avoid confusion
between the two, the first H. rupifraga
'Urajiro' is going to
be registered by
Hideko Gowen and Herb Benedict as Hosta 'Grand Slam'..." Mikiko Lockwood in an article on The Hosta Library titled,
A Little About Japanese Hosta Terms defines the term urajiro as white-backed or white underside.
Many hostas in Japan have been given the
simple name 'Urajiro' which would indicate that
the plant has a whitish color on the bottom
of the
foliage. There are at least 5 such plants
with that name, all from different species
including: |
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 An article about Fall Bloomers by
Herb Benedict and
Jim Wilkins in
The
Hosta Journal (1991 Vol. 22 No. 1) states that, "Here
are some of the fall blooming plants we grow...(listed in the order of bloom
times in Michigan).
| 1) H. kikutii
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A medium size plant densely flowering
with white blooms. The flowers are equally arranged around the
central axis of the raceme so that the bloom scapes resembles a
bottle brush or pony tail...We are growing two named varieties,
'Hirao-59' and 'Finlandia'. |
| 2) H. 'Fall Bouquet' |
Small, green plant, leaves slightly
undulated, lavender scape and blooms, floriferous. |
| 3) H. longipes |
Small green plant, densely flowering
with a tall stiff bloom scape. The flowers are lavender and the
leaves are green. |
| 4) H. gracillima |
Funnel-shaped, light lavender flowers.
A miniature green plant, with shiny surface. |
| 5) H. 'Iwa
Soules' |
Iwa means rock, and this plant was
imported by Marjorie Soules, from Japan. It is a small green plant
with lavender flowers. |
| 6) H. tortifrons |
In the same section (Picnolepis) as
H. longipes and
H. rupifraga. Distinctive small plant, with twisted
green leaves and lavender flowers. |
| 7) H. 'Fused Veins' |
Small, green leaves often with ¼ inch
margin which is a lighter green. The lance shaped leaves are
undulated and the veins come together regularly. The flowers are
mauve and the scape is sometimes branched. |
| 8) H. rupifraga |
Small, medium green, with thick,
leathery, ovate leaves. Densely flowering with purple flowers.
'Urajiro',
'Grand Slam', 'Maruba Iwa' |
| 9) H. tardiflora |
This small hosta is the last to bloom
for us. Its leaves are shiny, dark green and lance shaped. The
flowers are light lavender and borne in abundance on 12 inch scapes. |
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. tortifrons is now H. 'Tortifrons'
and H. tardiflora is H. 'Tardiflora'.
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