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The petiole is the stalk that connects the leaf blade to the crown
beneath the soil surface. Here, we are looking for any unique
characteristics that will help identify the cultivar. In recent
years, the most common trait that differentiates petioles is the
presence of the color red. This may be in the form of red spots or
may be a more solid reddish to purplish pigmentation.
The species
Hosta longipes and
H.
pycnophylla have petioles with red to purple dots on them. As
hybridizers continue to emphasize this characteristic, they are
hoping to move the red color further up into the leaf blade itself.
Who knows, we may have red leafed hostas not too far in the future.
Is that good or bad? You decide.
List of Hostas
with a)
Red Petioles
,
b) Red Flower
Scapes, c)
Tall
Flower Scapes and d)
Branched Flowers
Scapes.
There is also a trait called "no apparent
petiole". Certain plants such as H. 'Gosan Lettuce' or H. 'Ginsu Knife' have leaf blades
that continue more or less uninterrupted down the sides of the
petiole. Instead of having a petiole that resembles a celery stalk,
these types appear to have "wings" on the leaf stalk.
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June Colley of the U.K.
wrote an article in
The
Hosta Journal (2018 Vol. 49 No. 2) titled, "A Study of
Red Petioles in Our Hanging Hosta Garden." She did an in
depth discussion of the role of anthocyanin in the red
color of plants including the petioles of hostas. June
included the following chart giving examples of
different pigmentation patterns she has observed: |
i. |
Hostas with little red pigments or those
with pigments confined to the lower end of
the stem: 'The
Twister', 'Purple
Passion', 'Fujibotan',
'Neptune',
'Ruffed
Up'. |
ii |
Hostas that display a faded-look,
flecking not well-defined: 'Doctor
Fu Manchu', 'Jaws',
'Ebony
Towers', 'Flemish
Waves', 'Red
Salamander' |
iii |
Red or purple pigments found on the back
of the stem only: 'Elvis
Lives', 'Ginsu
Knife',
H. sieboldii f. spathulata,
'Cherry
Berry' |
iv |
Red or purple pigments found back to
back on the stems (occurs in majority):
H. jonesii, 'Blueberry
Muffin', 'Best
of Twenty', 'Violetta',
'Miss
Linda Smith', 'Plum
Pudding' |
v |
Speckles or flecks distinctive and well
spaced (not overlapping), more attractive: 'Red
Sox', 'Deane's
Dream', 'One
Man's Treasure',
H. okamotoi, 'Cinnamon
Sticks' |
vi |
Pigmentation dense, appearing solid in
large areas: 'Sugar
Plum', 'Lemon
Snap', 'Designer
Genes', 'First
Blush', 'Harry
van de Laar' |
vii |
Pigments with bluish purple tone, some
more distinct in late summer: 'Beet
Salad', 'Raspberry
Sundae', 'Mr
Blue', 'Theo's
Blue', 'Monkey
Business' |
viii |
Stem margin pigmentation different from
centre (also flecks in both parts differ in
sizes): 'Raspberry
Sundae' |
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There are many more
cultivars that have red petioles. If you would like to
add your opinion on where other red petioled hostas fit
in this chart, please send us an
EMAIL. We will add your suggested cultivars to the
list along with your name.
To refresh your memory,
here is a list of hostas with
Red Petioles.
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