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Hosta 'Desert Mouse'
 

This non-registered cultivar from Jan van den Top of the Netherlands is a sport of  H. 'One Iota Supreme' and is very similar to H. 'Pure Heart'. It is a miniature size plant about 3½ inches high by 5 inches wide with slightly blue-green foliage that has a creamy white medial (center) variegation. The leaves are broadly ovate, flat, dull on top and have a rounded base. Medium lavender flowers with darker veins bloom from June into July.

Jan van den Top, believes that H. 'Pure Heart' is actually the same as H. 'Desert Mouse'.
 

 

Warren I. Pollock wrote comments about the many sports of H. 'Blue Mouse Ears' (which he termed BME) in The Hosta Journal (2012 Vol. 43 No. 2). He stated, "Jan van den Top reports 'Pure Heart' and 'Desert Mouse' are the same hosta. Also, 'Holy Mouse Ears' comes up with plain blue-green leaves; after a month or so, a creamy-white center develops somewhat more yellow than others in this variegation group. Recall: 'Holy Mouse Ears' is from 'Royal Mouse Ears'."

 
"H. 'Mighty Moe' and 'Desert Mouse' look very similar."

An article by Warren I. Pollack in The Hosta Journal  (2020 Vol. 51 No. 1) titled Doppelgänger Hostas: Fancy Name for Look-alike Hostas, included a long list of hostas which various hostaphiles, published articles or other sources have indicated "look" the same. Some of these are, in fact, the same plant with two or more different names. Others are hostas that vary in some minor trait which is not immediately discernable to the casual observer such as seasonal color variations, bloom traits, ploidy, etc. So, as Warren mentions, hostaphiles may differ as to the plants listed but then, their opinions are based on visual observations and interpretations.

 



H. 'Pure Heart' is included on two look-alike lists in this article. Following an algebra rule I learned in the last century, if A=B and B=C, then A=C so all the hostas on both lists should be look-alikes...right? Also, all the hostas on both lists are medially (center) variegated except for H. 'Mighty Mouse' which has marginal variegation.

List #1 - H. 'Holy Mouse Ears', H. 'Mighty Mouse', H. 'Mouse Trap', H. 'Pure Heart' and H. 'Snow Mouse'

List #2 - H. 'Desert Mouse', H. 'Mighty Moe', H. 'Minerva Mouse Ears' and H. 'Pure Heart'



   

The Hosta Journal (2012 Vol. 43 No 2) in an article by Warren I. Pollock (pg. 16) listed the following:

Blue Mouse Ears Series of Hostas

Plain Colored Leaves
bullet H. 'Bue Mouse Ears' - Emile and Jane Deckert - 2000
bullet H. 'Green Mouse Ears' - Emile and Jane Deckert - 2004
bullet H. 'Ruffled Mouse Ears' - Mark Zilis - 2011
Blue-Green Center, Creamy Yellow or White Margin
bullet H. 'Frosted Mouse Ears' - Mark Zilis and Emile and Jane Deckert - 2006
bullet H. 'One Iota' - Jim Anderson - NR
bullet H. 'Lucky Mouse' - Jan van den Top - NR
bullet H. 'Mighty Mouse' - Walters Gardens - 2006
Blue-Green Center, White Margin
bullet H. 'Funny Mouse' - Marco Fransen - NR
Creamy Yellow or White Center, Blue-Green Margin
bullet H. 'Holy Mouse Ears' - Mark Zilis and Emile and Jane Deckert - 2006
bullet H. 'Mighty Moe' - Bill Silvers - 2009
bullet H. 'Pure Heart' - Walters Gardens - 2009
bullet H. 'Desert Mouse' - Jan van den Top - NR
White Center All Season, Blue-Green Margin
bullet H. 'Mouse Trap' - Hans Hansen - NR
bullet H. 'Snow Mouse' - Marco Fransen - NR
Streaked Leaves
bullet H. 'Royal Mouse Ears' - Emile and Jane Deckert - 2004
bullet H. 'One Iota Supreme' - Jim Anderson - NR
bullet H. 'Blue Mouse Ears Supreme' - Bill Silvers - 2007
bullet H. 'Mouse Tracks' - Walters Gardens - 2009
bullet H. 'Calico Mouse Ears' - Mark Zilis - NR
Unusual Variegation
bullet H. 'Cat and Mouse' - Hans Hansen - 2007 - (chartreuse leaves with blue-green margins)
bullet H. 'Dancing Mouse' - Marco Fransen - NR - (has blue-green leaves with wavy yellowish-green margins)
bullet H. 'Mystic Mouse' - Danny Van Eechaute - 2010 - (slightly blue-green leaves with medium blue-green margins)
bullet H. 'Jumbo Mouse Ears' - Hugo Philips - 2011 - (larger growing than BME; leave have an embroidered edge)

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