<i>Hosta </i>plant named ‘Gigantosaurus’

Abstract

A new and distinct Hosta plant named ‘Gigantosaurus’ with large, rounded-mound habit of heavy-substance, stiff, variegated foliage. Leaves are moderately glaucous, broadly ovate with coarsely, weakly-undulate, creamy-white margins, bluish-green centers and intermediate colors between. Flowers are light purple, held just above foliage beginning in late June. The new plant is attractive for landscaping in the garden as a specimen, in mass and as a large container plant.

Claims

1. A new and distinct ornamental Hosta plant named ‘Gigantosaurus’ as herein described and illustrated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the new plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, temperature, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color. The drawings show a nine-year-old ‘Gigantosaurus’ plant in a trial garden at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

(2) FIG. 1 shows the habit of a nine-year-old plant with early flowers and buds.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the foliage with variegation.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a close-up of the flowers.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(5) The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hosta ‘Gigantosaurus’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of a nine-year-old plant in a partially shaded trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental water and fertilizer. Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid. Parentage: A proprietary unnamed streaked-variegated sport of ‘Empress Wu’ as the female parent and ‘Blueberry Muffin’ as the male parent. Propagation: Garden division and sterile shoot-tip tissue culture. Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About two to three weeks. Growth rate: Rapid. Crop time: About 10 to 12 weeks to finish during the summer in a one-liter container from rooted tissue culture plantlet. Rooting habit: Normal, fleshy, lightly branching; color between RHS NN155A and RHS NN155B depending on soil content. Plant shape and habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with basal rosettes of leaves emerging from rhizomes producing a large, symmetrical, rounded-mound of leaves; about 12 divisions per plant; divisions to about 3 cm diameter at soil level. Plant size: Foliage height about 77 cm above soil line to the top of the leaves and about 193 cm wide at the widest point about 30 cm above the soil line. Foliage description: Broadly ovate; acute apex; cordate base; entire margin; glabrous and moderately glaucous adaxial, and glabrous and moderately glaucous abaxial; blades mostly flat with coarse, weakly undulate margin; with a thick stiff feel. Leaf blade size: To about 42.5 cm long, 29 cm wide at base; average about 36 cm long and 25 cm wide; with variegated cream-white margin of variable width between 1 cm and 4.5 cm wide. Leaf blade color: Early season and expanding adaxial margin between RHS 145C and RHS 1C, adaxial center nearest RHS 137B with intermediate colors comprising nearest RHS N144D, RHS 146B, RHS 145A and between RHS 193B and RHS 145C; early season and expanding abaxial margin nearest RHS 145C and center between RHS 138B and RHS 138A with intermediate colors comprising RHS 146D, and between RHS 193B and RHS 147D; mid-season and later summer adaxial margin nearest RHS 155A in light shade and between RHS 150C and RHS 145C in heavy shade or underneath other foliage, center nearest RHS 137B, intermediate region variable comprising RHS 146C, RHS N138B, between RHS 148D and RHS 190B, between RHS 145D and RHS 146D; mid-season and later summer abaxial margin variable, nearest RHS 155A in higher light, and nearest RHS 4D to nearest RHS 145D in heavy shade or underneath other foliage, center nearest RHS 138B with glaucous covering removed and between RHS 191C and RHS 191B with glaucous wax remaining, between margin and center intermediate colors comprising nearest RHS 145A, nearest RHS 146D, nearest RHS 193B, and between RHS 191C and RHS 191D. Petiole: Glabrous, deeply concavo-convex; stiff; mostly straight from base of plant to leaf base with little bending or arching, strong and slightly flexible; to about 54.5 cm long and 22 mm wide and 12 mm deep at base. Petiole color: Adaxial and abaxial margin about 1 mm wide nearest RHS 158C, adaxial center nearest RHS 145B proximally and between RHS 145B and RHS 138B distally; abaxial center nearest RHS 145D with a thin band between the margin and center about 2 mm wide nearest 138A. Veins: Parallel, lightly impressed adaxial, moderately bulging between veins; strongly costate and smooth abaxial side; about 14 to 15 pairs and one main center vein. Veins color: Adaxial margin nearest RHS 157A, center variable nearest RHS 146D proximally and nearest RHS 194B distally; abaxial midrib nearest RHS 157B, main center veins nearest RHS 194D and marginal veins nearest 4D. Flower description: Perfect; single; actinomorphic; funnelform; held outwardly to slightly drooping; mostly secund; persist for normal period, usually one day on plant or as cut flower; about 65 flowers per scape. Flower period: Scapes remain effective with flowering beginning late June for about four to five weeks in Michigan. Flower size: To about 56 mm long to exserted style; corolla to about 53 mm long and slightly flared to about 34 mm across at apex; distal bell portion 34 mm long and gradually tapering to corolla tube; corolla tube to about 19 mm long and 3.5 mm diameter toward base. Fragrance: None detected. Floral bracts: Subtending individual flowers; lanceolate to linear; narrowly acute apex, truncate clasping base, margin entire; glabrous adaxial and abaxial; to about 30 mm long and 16 mm across, decreasing in size distally; drying two to three days after flower dehisces. Bract color: Adaxial and abaxial margins lightly blushed with nearest RHS N186C, adaxial nearest RHS 145D, abaxial center nearest RHS 145C. Tepals: Two sets of three; lanceolate with acute apex and fused base. Inner set.—56 mm long and 15 mm across slightly above fusion; fused in basal 30 mm and free in distal 26 mm; vitreous along 1 mm wide margin. Inner set color.—Adaxial margin between RHS NN155D and RHS 85D to 4 mm wide in broadest portion, adaxial center between RHS 85A and RHS 85B distally and N87D proximally; abaxial free blade portion nearest RHS 85D and tube portion nearest RHS 85A. Outer tepal.—56 mm long and 13 mm across slightly above fusion; fused in basal 30 mm and free in distal 26 mm; vitreous along 0.5 mm margin. Outer tepal color.—Adaxial margin between RHS NN155D and RHS 85D to 2 mm wide in broadest portion, adaxial center between RHS 85A and RHS 85B distally and N87D proximally; abaxial free blade portion nearest RHS 85D and tube portion nearest RHS 85A. Gynoecium: Single; tri-carpelled; 52.0 mm long. Style.—Single; cylindrical; arcuate upward about 90° in distal 5 mm; about 48 mm long and 1 mm diameter; color RHS NN155C. Stigma.—Flattened globose, micro-puberulent; about 1.5 mm across and 1 mm long; color nearest RHS NN155B distally and between RHS 145D and RHS 155C proximally. Ovary.—Superior; ellipsoidal; rounded apex and truncate base; strongly longitudinally fluted; about 7 mm long and 3 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 145A. Androecium: Six. Filaments.—Cylindrical; glabrous; arcuate upward about 90° in distal 5 mm portion; about 48 mm long and 1 mm diameter; color nearest RHS NN155C distally and between RHS 155D and RHS NN155D proximally. Anthers.—Oblong; dorsifixed, longitudinally dehiscent; about 4 mm long, 2 mm across, and 1 mm thick; color nearest RHS 200B and RHS N77A. Pollen.—Smaller than 0.1 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 17B. Flower bud: Clavate; with acute apex and fused tubular base; about 37 mm long in total and 9 mm wide in bulb portion, tube about 15 mm long and 3 mm diameter. Flower bud color: Nearest RHS 85B. Pedicel: Cylindrical, glabrous, slightly glaucous; outwardly to slightly drooping; mostly secund; to about 14 mm long and 2.0 rnm diameter. Pedicel color: Between RHS 192D and RHS 196D with a light blush of nearest RHS N77C. Peduncle: Cylindrical; usually one per mature division and five per plant; strongly glaucous; glabrous; very stiff, rigid; nearly upwardly with slightly arching distally; to about 86 cm long and about 10 mm diameter at base; flowering in upper 30 cm with about 65 flowers per scape. Peduncle color: Distally nearest RHS 146A with a moderate blush of nearest RHS N186C, proximally between RHS 145A and RHS 145B without anthocyanin blushing. Fruit: Non-fleshy, dehiscent, tri-loculicidal capsule; oblong to cylindrical with rounded apiculate apex and attenuate base; about 37 mm long and 8 mm diameter. Fruit color: Nearest RHS 138A. Seed: Typically about 33 to 42 per capsule under natural conditions; endospermic; flattened-ellipsoidal wing surrounding embryo at one end of ellipse; to about 12 mm long, 3 mm wide and 1.5 mm thick at embryo. Seed color: Nearest RHS 202A. Disease and pest tolerance and resistance: The new plant has not shown any resistance to pests, including Odocoileus virginianus and Oryctotagus cuniculus, and diseases common to Hostas. Growth: The plant grows best and shows best coloration with plenty of moisture, adequate drainage and light shade, but is able to tolerate some drought when mature. Hardiness: at least from USDA zone 3 through 9.