The flowers on hostas are perfect flowers in that they contain both the male (stamen) and female (pistil) reproductive organs in the same structure. As with daylilies, the flowers of hosta open for one day and then fade away. As mentioned previously, the parts are all in multiples of 3. There are 6 tepals (combined petals and sepals), 6 stamens, 3 cavities in the ovaries and the stigma at the top of the pistil has 3 lobes. The flowers open very early in the morning except for those related to the species, H. clausa which do not open at all.

Mr. PGC Comment: One exception is the flowers of Hosta clausa forma normalis which, for some reason, do open. Oh, well.

Hosta flowers come in shapes including tubular, bell and spider-shaped. In addition, the terms closed, double and other may also be used for registration purposes.

Typical flower formations on hostas include:

Tubular-shaped Bell-shaped Spider-shaped

Closed Double Clusters

Also called "funnel shaped", Hosta montana is an example of this kind of flower.

Most hosta flowers have a bell-shaped form to one degree or another.

 

Species such as Hosta yingeri and H. laevigata have flowers that have tepals that bend backwards. In horticultural terms, these are considered "spider" shaped.

Although it is difficult to figure out how the plant benefits from this trait, certain hostas have flowers that never open. The form buds which continue to swell and enlarge but, at the time when they should open, they stay shut.

Double flowers are those that have petals (tepals) at least double the normal number. This is a relatively new development in hostas and there are only a few varieties that currently have double flowers. The most well known cultivar is probably H. plantaginea 'Venus'.

Most hostas bear their flowers singly along the flower scape, some develop clusters of buds near the top of the scape.