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Hosta / Plantain Lily🌿
Hosta
ギボウシ
The collective name for perennials in genus Hosta, asparagus family (Agavoideae subfamily). About 40 species native to Japan, Korea, and China — including ōba-giboshi ('uru-i') and koba-giboshi in Japan. With their large undulating leaves, hostas are prized as 'queens of the shade garden' in Western horticulture. The Japanese name refers to a temple-bridge finial ('giboshi') resembling the flower bud shape. Young leaves ('uru-i') are eaten as wild greens.
Identification Points
- ✓Basal rosette of ovate to oblong-ovate leaves with parallel veins
- ✓Flower stalks bearing racemes of funnel-shaped white to pale purple flowers
- ✓Many cultivars with variegated, blue-green, or yellow-green foliage
Habitat
Mountain forests and wetlands (native); cultivated (gardens, shade gardens)
Season
July to August (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Ovate
Growth form
Herb
Flower color
Purple
Flowering season
Summer
Habitat
Forest
Phylogenetic Positionキジカクシ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Asparagales > Asparagaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification