Glossary of Hosta Terminology
ALBESCENT – possessing leaves that begin yellow or more pigmented and become whiter as the season progresses; e.g.H.'Gold Standard'.
ANTHER – the upper part of the stamen, male flower part, in a capsule-like structure that splits to release yellow pollen.
AP0MIXIS - asexual seed produced without the normal fusion of pollen and egg giving rise to seedlings genetically identical to the pod parent; e.g. H. ventricosa.
AXILLARY - coming from the joint of a leaf and the stem.
BACKWARD MUTATION – the pigment change of a plant or division from a variegated state or a state with less chlorophyll to one of more chlorophyll or a solid-colored condition.
BLOOM - 1. flower 2. waxy coating on a leaf, stem, or pod surface producing a dusty appearance.
BLOOM TIME - the time period between when the first flower of a stem or clump opens or is receptive to pollination and the last flower is open or receptive.
BRACT – the diminutive or leaf-like structures on the scape below each flower.
CENTERED-OUT – the dying out of the middle portion of a clump.
CHIMERA – an individual containing cells of two or more different tissues.
CHIMERAL REARRANGEMENT – (in Hosta) the changing position of different pigments of different tissues in an individual, i.e. a gold margined hosta producing a gold centered or all gold division.
CLONE - a group of genetically identical individual plants produced by asexual propagation.
COROLLA – (in Hosta) the collective set of petals and sepals, fused into tepals; normally appearing as two sets of three.
CORRUGATED – see SEERSUCKERING
CROWN – the base of a plant where the roots and shoots join.
CULTIVAR - contraction word for "cultivated variety"; a plant that is clearly distinguished by identical physical characteristics and maintains these characteristics through proper propagation means.
CUPPED – leaf blade having the center of the leaf lower than the margin, concave.
DIMPLES – a slight form of seersuckering
DIVISION – (in Hosta) a single shoot with roots attached.
DRAWSTRING EFFECT – the leaf distortion caused by the expansion of the interior of the leaf blade with a correspondingly lesser expansion of the margin tissue. This usually occurs as the result from a narrow white margin and green to gold center; e.g. H.'Lunar Eclipse'..
foliage height is less than 4 inches.
EMERGED – having shoots above the ground.
EYE – an undeveloped or dormant shoot; dormant bud.
FASCIATED – a flattening of the flower scape giving the appearance of several scapes fused together side by side.
FERTILIZATION - 1. Application of nutrients; 2. union of egg and sperm.
FILAMENT – the long thin structure that holds the anther.
FLOWER STEM - the main stem of the inflorescence.
FOLDED - bent upward parallel to midrib, keel-shaped.
FURLED - (in Hosta) having leaves with edges or sides curled or coiled in to the midrib; e.g. H. 'Stetson'.
GENOTYPE - The genetic makeup of a plant.
GENUS - taxonomic division of related species below family.
leaf size greater than 144 square inches and foliage height greater than 28 inches.
GLABROUS - smooth hairless leaf texture.
GLAUCOUS – a waxy coating (or bloom) producing a white to blue coloring over the plant parts, the coating is capable of rubbing or washing off especially in hot conditions
HEART-SHAPED – having an acute leaf point or apex, and a flat to cordate leaf base; shaped like a valentine heart; cordate.
HYBRID – a seedling from two distinct parents.
INFLORESCENCE - the flowering part of a hosta including the raceme, peduncle, pedicel, and flower.
INFLORESCENCE LEAVES - the larger, occasionally flat, leaf-like structures on the flower stem.
JETTING – (in Hosta) having a margin variegation that is not uniform, but irregularly extends into or toward the center of the leaf; e.g. H.montana 'Aureomarginata', H.montana 'Choko Nishiki'.
JUVENILE – (in Hosta) the pre-adult stages of a plant usually exemplified by more pointed, narrower leaves,fewer vein pairs, thinner marginal variegation, faster growth rate, and often smaller leaf and clump size.
LANCE-SHAPED – having a narrow pointed leaf tip and leaf blade width less than one half the length of the blade
Leaf size greater than 81 square inches up to 144 square inches. Foliage height 18 inches to 28 inches.
LEAF BLADE – the thin, usually flat part of leaf excluding the petiole.
LUTESCENT – possessing leaves which begin the season darker and become lighter or more yellow as the season progresses; not the result of bleaching due to poor nutrition or too much sun.
MACULATA – Latin term for marked with spots; blotched.
MATURE – (in Hosta) a plant with general characteristics that do not change with continued aging.
MEDIO-VARIEGATED – leaf or leaves having a lighter center than the margin color.
leaf area from 25 to 81 square inches. Foliage height 10 to 18 inches.
MELTING OUT - necrosis of the white or lighter center of hosta leaves.
MERISTEM - the region of rapidly expanding cells of one of the growing points of a plant that further differentiate to produce shoots, roots, and flowers.
MID-RIB – the center vein of a leaf.
leaf area from 2 to 6 square inches. Foliage height from 4 to 6 inches.
MISTED – having small short segments of dark pigmented tissue on a lighter background.
MOTTLED - blotched spotting of leaf blade; e.g. H.'Cynthia'.
MUTATION – a genetic change of DNA in an individual.
NECROSIS - the death or dying of cells, tissues, or whole plants.
NODE - the meristematic place on a stem where the leaf is attached.
OVARY - the basal portion of the pistil where eggs are contained.
OVATE - (in Hosta) leaves egg-shaped.
PANICLE - an inflorescence with the main axis branched; e.g. H.tibae.
PATTERN – the particular type of variegation.
PEDICEL - the structure attaching an individual flower to the flower stem.
PEDUNCLE – (in Hosta) the main stem of the inflorescence; flower stem.
PETAL – see TEPAL
PETIOLE – leaf stalk.
PHENOTYPE - the visually observed characteristics of an individual; physical appearance.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS – the process that healthy plants perform using chloroplast to produce carbohydrates using light energy, water, and carbon dioxide.
PIECRUST – (in Hosta) a consistent rippled or crimped appearance limited to the outer edge of a leaf.
PISTIL - the female part of the flower consisting of style, stigma, and ovary.
POD - developed ovary or fruit.
POLLEN - the male gametes.
POLLINATION - the transfer of pollen to a receptive stigma.
PROGENY – the offspring from sexual reproduction.
PRUINOSE – see GLAUCOUS
PUCKERING – see SEERSUCKERING
RACEME - inflorescence with flowers attached individually to a main stem by pedicels.
REVERT – (in Hosta) the change of a variegated sport back to its original solid colored predecessor.
RHIZOMATOUS – having long reaching underground horizontal stems; loosely spreading habit; e.g. H.clausa.
SCAPE – (in Hosta) the stem bearing the complete set of flowers for a single division.
SEEDLING – plant of seed origin resulting from the fusion of an egg and sperm (pollen).
SEERSUCKERING – the gathering of a leaf between the veins giving the leaf the bubbled effect as if thread had been pulled out of a piece of material.
SELFING - the pollination of a clone by the same clone.
SHOOT – the stem and set of leaves of an individual division; the dormant set of leaves all enclosed in a single set of leaf scales.
leaf area from 6 to 25 square inches. Foliage height 6 to 10 inches.
SPECIES - the taxonomic division of freely interbreeding population of wild or naturally occurring individuals below genus.
SPECKLED – small spotted irregular coloring.
SPLASHED – having a variegation pattern that has many non-connected light and dark variegated sections usually in streaks running nearly parallel to the midrib, an unstable form of variegation; e.g. H.'Beatrice'.
SPORT – an individual arising from the result of mutation or chimeral rearrangement that is genotypically or phenotypically different from the original individual.
STABLE - (in Hosta) a plant that maintains its solid or variegated pattern when propagated by division.
STAMEN – the male flower parts consisting of the filament and the anther, usually six per flower.
STIGMA – the receptive female tip of the flower at the end of the style.
STOLONIFEROUS – (in Hosta) see RHIZOMATOUS
STREAKED – see SPLASHED
STYLE – the long tube connecting the stigma with the ovary.
SUBSTANCE – the amount of thickness between the veins, to the touch, of a fully expanded leaf blade.
TEXTURE - the characteristics of the leaf surface to the eye.
TWISTED – a leaf rotated around itself producing an askew condition.
UNDULATED – a course wave to the leaf blade; e.g. H.'Undulata'.
UNFURLED – the stage of leaf development when the blade is open and completely separated from the petiole; usually when a leaf has completely untangled from itself.
VARIEGATED – leaf having more than one color due to a difference in pigment components as margined, medio-variegated, splashed,misted, or mottled.
VEIN PAIRS – the matched set of veins on opposite side of the center midrib.
VEINS – the prominent lines of connective tissue for carrying water and nutrients. (in Hosta) nearly parallel to the edge or center of the leaf.
VIRIDESCENT - possessing of leaves which begin the season lighter colored and become more green as the season advances.
WAVY – see UNDULATED
WHITE-BACKED – having a glaucous underside; e.g. H.hypoleuca.