Hosta of the Day - gracillima

[redcrx]

In 2010 I picked up a small plant called gracillima. I had it in a horrible spot and almost lost it. It finally flowered last season. A spidery looking flower shaped like laevigata but darker. I liked the flower a lot and decided to make a trough full of it. I ordered a few more from a different source (my mistake but I couldn't get them from my first source). The new ones flowered this season with a completely different and ordinary flower. In researching the topic on dark striped hosta flowers I came across one in the Hosta Library called "gracillima Saizaki Hime Iwa" http://www.hostalibrary.org/g/gracillimasaizaki.html that matches the first gracillima I have.

Here is the new one I got in this season that is the "normal" gracillima.

gracillima 13 f 09261zbz56-7-4.jpg

And here is the "unusual" one that got me interested in this one last season - which I think is gracillima Saizaki Hime Iwa.

t6 gracillima f 12 06545zbz65-9-11.jpg

[Tigger]

From the HL pics, it seems the plant is rather different from typical H. gracillima as well (much larger, and not as wavy). The specimen we have is a great little plant, but has the more typical flowers. (I'll have to check.)

David

[redcrx]

Darn - I missed getting photos of the big flower. It must only open for a few hours in the afternoon. I have tons of the normal flower opened now - early in the morning.

And looking at the date from last season, the big flowered one is about 2 weeks ahead of time.

[redcrx]

I was wrong about missing the flower. Turns out it's in a trough with Princess of Karafuto and they were intertwined. The trough had big plants on the ends - something labeled Paul's Glory (which is wrong) and Empress Wu (that had to come out after 3 seasons - started tiny). I potted the big ones and spread the little ones - detangling Princess of Karafuto and gracillima. The gracillima does have a scape which is about a week or more away from flowering.

[redcrx]

Here is an update on this one or two. The first page is the lighter wider petaled flower type. The second page is the darker thin petaled flower type. The third page compares the two flowers.

Hosta Registry - not registered - it is a species
MyHostas - http://myhostas.be/db/hostas/gracillima
Hosta Library - http://www.hostalibrary.org/g/gracillima.html

Here is a trough of gracillima in the 2013 season.

6gracillima 13 09275zb58-8-17.jpg

With an early flower

7gracillima 13 f 09261zbz56-7-4.jpg

And a late flower

8gracillima 13 f N0562zb-8-29.jpg

9gracillima 14 f 00046zb42-8-27.jpg

And late flowers in the 2014 season

10gracillima 14 f 00771zbz70-9-6.jpg

[redcrx]

Here is the darker flower form of gracillima.

Here is the plant in the 2011 season.

1gracillima 11 0854-9-10.JPG

And in 2013

2gracillima 13 09654zb44-8-22.jpg

3gracillima 13 00343zb76-9-6.jpg

And the darker flower in 2012

4gracillima 12 f 06547zb-9-11.jpg

And in 2013

5gracillima 13 f 00272zb52-9-5.jpg

[redcrx]

Here are the flowers side-by-side

The tube is thinner on the darker one.

11gracillima 13 fc 00275zbz54-9-5.jpg

12gracillima 13 fc 00276zbz54-9-5.jpg