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."