This is
an example of those confusing
name situations in hostas. The plant H. 'Elata' is an
H. montana-type cultivar that was originated by
Dr. Nils Hylander of Sweden. It was
first thought to be a species as in Hosta elata but
Schmid (1991) changed it to
a cultivar as H. 'Elata'.
As registered by
The
American Hosta Society in 2002, H. 'Elata' is a
giant size plant growing to 30 inches in height with a spread of
about 6 feet. The deeply lobed leaves have some corrugation and
good substance. It also develops a rich gold color in the fall
after frost. The pale lavender flowers are produce toward the
end of June into July. It sets viable seeds.
According to
The Hostapedia by Mark Zilis (2009), "...'Elata' represents the same
plant that most collectors know as 'Fortunei
Gigantea'. It is actually a type of
H. montana, resembling it
in both foliage and flower. The plant described by
Hylander
(1954) only bore 8-10 vein pairs, though photos accompanying
his article showed a diversity of 'Elata' forms. Some resembled
typical 'Fortunei' type plants, but others appeared closer to
'Fortunei Gigantea'.
W. George Schmid (1991 p. 48) noted this in
The Genus Hosta."
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