This
upright growing, large size
(22 inches high by 62 inches wide) hosta of unknown originator from Japan was
registered by
Peter and Jean Ruh of Ohio in 2002
and
re-registered
with new data in 2018 to
reflect a larger plant size. The foliage is shiny, slightly rippled,
slightly twisted and broadly lanceolate in shape. Medium purple
flowers with white stripes bloom from August into September on scapes up to 26
inches tall followed by viable seeds.
The registration materials state: "...unusual
color; color shows on leaf back; robust; twisted leaf tips...Ani=
name of town in Akita Prefecture; Machi means "town": Schmid page
131. This is the correct name for what has been sold as Geisha.
It is an outstanding selection-yellow to chartreuse with dark
green margins. Glossy leaves have distinguished twist. Upright
growth habit..."
A similar plant called 'Ani Machi
Gibōshi', according to
The Hosta Handbook by Mark Zilis (2000), is to be found in many
Japanese gardens. However, he
says that plant is actually "...the same plant that has been
sold as 'Geisha'."
The New Encyclopedia of Hostas by
Diana
Grenfell (2009) states: "Origin: Thought to be
H. sieboldii x
H. rectifolia... Slow
to increase and needs good cultivation and hot summers to
maintain a steady growth rate. Leaf center turns pale green at
or before flowering time."
"Ani
Gibōshi, the "hosta (from) Ani Machi," is named for the
town of Ani, Akita Perfecture, northeastern Honshu."
On March 30, 2021, we received an email from
Gayle Hartley Alley,
International Registrar Genus
Hosta stating: "After many years of conflict between the
registered hosta 'Geisha' and the plant marketed with the same name, I am
rescinding the registration on this cultivar. An updated Cumulative Index is
available from the Hosta Treasury at:
http://www.hostaregistrar.org/hosta_registration_lists.html . The name
'Geisha' has been removed from the index pages and now appears in Appendix B
(page 78). An official notice will appear in the "Corrections and Comments"
section of the Registrations 2021 booklet (distributed in spring of 2022)."
An article about H. 'Ani Machi' and H. 'Geisha' by Warren I. Pollock in
The
Hosta Journal (2001 Vol. 32 No. 1) states that H. 'Ani
Machi' according to Mark Zillis' book The Hosta Handbook (2000) "is
the same plant that has been sold as H. 'Geisha'. It is not, however, the plant
that Kevin Vaughn registered under this name in 1983." Vaughn registered a much
smaller plant than what is in the trade today as H. 'Geisha'...he confirmed that
what is on the market as H. 'Geisha' is not what he registered."
|