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Hosta plantaginae

Common name:	August Lily	Family:	Funkiaceae
Author:	(Lam.)Asch.	Botanical references:	200, 266
Synonyms:	Hosta subcordata
Known Hazards:	One report suggests the plant may be poisonous[178].
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat:	Forests, grassy slopes and rocky places from near sea level to 2200 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	H. plantaginea[B,G,P] Hemerocallis plantaginea[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Fragrant Plantain-lily [B], Fragrant Plantainlily [P],

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 1.2m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Leaves Stem.

Young leaves and leaf stems - cooked[105, 177]. One report suggests the plant may be poisonous[178].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Cancer.

The flowers are said to have anticancer activity[218].

Other Uses

Essential Ground cover.

An essential oil is obtained from the leaves, used in perfumery[178].
A useful ground cover plant, succeeding in dense shade, though rather slow spreading[197]. Plants should be spaced about 60cm apart each way[208].

Cultivation details

Thrives in most fertile soils if they are rich in humus[200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils and in sandy ones[208]. Very limy soils inhibit growth, but plants can thrive in such a situation if plenty of humus is added[208]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7[200]. Requires a rich soil that does not dry out readily[1]. Succeeds in full sun as well as in deep shade, growing well in the semi-shade of a woodland[200, 233]. In general, the sunnier the position the moister the soil should be[233]. Plants are best not grown under trees in town gardens since the soot washed from the leaves of the trees in wet weather will tend to remain on the hosta[208]. Plants flower better when grown in a sunny position but the foliage is better when the plant is in a shady position[200]. This species tolerates quite a lot of sun[187].
Plants are in general fully hardy in Britain, but young leaves in spring can be destroyed by frost. New leaves are only produced in the spring and very early summer, so any damage at this time has a deep effect on the plant[233].
The plant forms open clumps[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233].
Plants are very attractive to slugs and snails, the young shoots in spring are especially at risk[111, K].
A very ornamental plant[1], there are some named varieties[187]. The flowers open in the evening[188] and have a delicious lily-like fragrance[233]. The plant only flowers well when grown in a warm position[233], and is not really satisfactory when grown in most areas north of London[251]..
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 10° c. Make sure you keep the compost moist. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division is possible at almost any time of the year so long as there is sufficient moisture[233]. It is best carried out in March as growth commences or in early autumn if the soil is not too dry[200]. Hostas can be left undivided for many years and should not be divided any more frequently than once every 3 - 5 years to allow the leaves to reach maturity[200].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers open in the evening and have a delicious lily-like fragrance.

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Hosta plantaginea (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[197] Royal Horticultural Society. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells. 1989 ISBN 0-304-31089-1
A handy little booklet from the R.H.S.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[251] Grenfell. Diana The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hostas David &Charles 1996 ISBN 0-7153-0431-3
Excellent cover of the genus, though it concentrates mainly on the cultivars and does not go much into plant uses.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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