This is a large size species (24 inches high) that
emerges very early in the spring. It has a very upright,
vase-shaped growth habit and gray green foliage with thick
substance. The leaf base is heart shaped and the tip is
elongated and sharp. The flowers are near white with purple
anthers, borne in clusters and they bloom from July into August.
The Genus Hosta by
W. George Schmid (1991), says that this species is known as "dark-leaved
and wavy hosta" in its native
Japan. The species
epithet, fluctus means wavy.
W. George Schmid in his
Hosta Species Update on The Hosta
Library (2006) says, "The species itself is rarely seen in
gardens. This is unfortunate, because it is an attractive, large
leaf mound with very wavy leaves...According the
Summers (1972) no authenticated specimens were collected in
Japan during the early days of collecting (1966-1972). This may
be due to remoteness of the H. fluctuans habitat in
northern prefectures, where collectors rarely ventured."
|