i would go with zilis .... it is consistent with all i have read over the years ....

how about some logic ... if plantaginea has the longest flowers at 6 inches .. explain what could be grander ... there is no longer flower ..

on the other hand... trying to stimulate a long dormant brain cell .. wasnt it imported into the UK around 1860 .... and grown in conservatories ... because they thought it couldnt take the cold ... might have to research schmid tome regarding such [someone else i mean .. lol ] ... so it wouldnt surprise me... if grenfell has some derivation .... who knows ...

bingo ... find THE GENUS HOSTA... by george schmid .... go for an interlibrary loan if you have to .. or buy one...

the intro chapters on species are incredible .... and i would bet a buck .. only three non-professional peeps have ever read it.. me being one of them ...

and its NOT the august lily ... and its not a plantain ... nor a funkia ..... its just plain old plataginea ...

IMHO

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: genus hosta... not hostas .... no plural .. hit the button to look inside

I'll save you $50. It's basically the book with better pictures, and updated. Trust me you'll need the pics. No offense but unless your really into hostas and I do mean really into hostas it's going to be fairly boring.

http://hostalibrary.org/species/index.html

i suppose .. the ultimate issue is whether there are significant differences... to justify any cost differential ....

buy the cheaper of the two ... and dont bother with the other ...

99.9% will not be able to tell the difference .... if any ...

and .. since it is so similar .. it probably .. by definition .. does NOT pass the 10 foot rule ...

plantaginea DOES fit the 10 foot rule ...

ken

Allan Armitage in Herbaceous Perennial Plants states that H. plantaginea has 3-4" long flowers while H. plantaginea var. grandiflora has longer, narrower foliage and 5" flowers.

Thanks, everyone, for the information. I was given both as gifts this summer. 'Grandiflora' has flowers that are 5.5 inches from base to tip. I don't think plantaginea will bloom this year. I guess I'll just wait until next summer to see if I can detect any substantive difference. I'll keep you posted.

Ken, do you think yours is not grandiflora? I'm not sure I understand why you think Armitage is incorrect. I have plantaginea and it does match the flower and leaf measurements he gives.

ok.. it took me an hour.. on a rainy day.. to find both zilis and schmid ...

both list grandiflora as an archaic synonym to the species plantaginea ...

if you have it.. and bought the other... you bought what you already had ....

what surprised me.. is that the flower size is variable ... BUT ALWAYS BIGGER than the cultivars at 3 inches ...

VERY interesting history in the schmid tome... it was in joe bonapartes garden at malmaisson ... so popular ... that it was call the parisian funkia for a while ...

originally brought in by seed sent from macao ???? and grown in hothouses.. before they discovered it would survive outdoors ...

Zillis echoes it all ....

did i ever tell you.. how many hosta i bought duplicates of.. because .. what i consider a dishonest seller... selling under old names .... back in the day.. some sellers lost a lot of money based on such [i didnt order from them again] .. its no excuse that they didnt know .... one guy even sent the same plant under two names.. in the same box .... never ordered from him again ....

ken

It is a funkia, it is an August lily, it is Plantagenia. Before they became Hosta they were ALL Funkia.

So if someone calls them Platagenia Grandiflora they can get $2 more for them! I've never heard them called that before today.

Is Plantagenia the common green one? I have the common green one and the common white edged one that were given to me by my MIL 45 yrs ago. They have moved 4 times and continue to thrive.

I call them goldie oldies. The most common of the white edged goldie oldie is the Albomarginata. The Plantagenia is limey green (with some sun) colored with spectacular long white fragrant blooms in August. There are common green/green hostas - don't recall the name right off - probably latin.

Scootersbear, where is your link embedded in the HL? I am able to find the species information by Schmidt and I have seen the link you posted but, I am wondering where it’s found on the front page of the library? Or is it from another link? I bookmarked it, but I am wondering how I found it a couple of days ago. Indulge me if you can.

debra

i guess i didnt have this ELEVEN YEARS AGO .... crikey'

ken

Frankielynnsie, if your common green one has longer, lance-shaped leaves and purple flowers in late August-early September, it's probably lancifolia. The common white-edged one is probably undulata albomarginata. I have a lancifolia that was brought from Chicago to Minneapolis in 1949, and moved several times since then. I would guess that there's little left of the original plant, but it's fun to think there might be. Plantaginea is not as common. Royal Standard is another more common variety. I have heard that one called the August Lily because its white blossoms are blooming now, and it's fragrant because it's a progeny of plantaginea.