Hosta longipes var. longipes - Funkia, Lis plantain

The Hosta longipes var. longipes, sold under the name Hosta tardiflora, is a small Japanese hosta with a very late flowering appearing in September and October. Its compact vegetation consists of dark green, glossy lanceolate leaves, quite different from the large cordate leaves of many hostas. Its pale lilac flower scapes appear when most other varieties have already finished flowering. Its small size makes it suitable for shaded borders, cool rockeries, at the base of deciduous shrubs, and in containers sheltered from the burning sun.

The accepted species name is Hosta longipes var. longipes ; Hosta tardiflora is a botanical synonym, sometimes written Hosta ‘Tardiflora’ in horticultural literature. This herbaceous perennial of the Asparagaceae family is commonly called funkia or plantain lily. It is native to Honshū, Japan, where it grows on rocky ground in temperate regions. The plant develops from short rootstocks and forms a dense clump. At maturity, after 3-4 years of cultivation, its foliage reaches 25 to 30 cm in height and 40 to 45 cm in spread; the flower scapes rise to 30 or 45 cm, above the foliage. The leaves, borne on petioles more or less tinged with red, measure up to 14 cm in length and 5 cm in width. Their narrow, lanceolate lamina, slightly undulate and marked with parallel veins, has a dark green, satin to glossy surface. Its texture is firmer than that of many thin-leaved hostas. Each leaf arises directly from the stump and the clump slowly broadens. The foliage is deciduous: it emerges in spring, then yellows and disappears after the first frosts. In September and October, slender reddish flower scapes bear tubular, funnel-shaped flowers, pale lilac to lavender violet, arranged around the stem. This late flowering explains the former epithet tardiflora. Under this name, the plant also served as a parent for hybrids of the Tardiana group, resulting from crosses with Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’; several well-known bluish hostas, including ‘Halcyon’, belong to this line. Grown alone, it is recognised by its upright habit, narrow leaves and autumn flowering, three characteristics that distinguish it from the broad, rounded hostas generally used as groundcover.

At the edge of woodland or in a Japanese-inspired scene, this compact hosta will be paired with plants of similar size. For example, the Saxifraga fortunei ‘Rubrifolia’ which has bronze leaves veined with purple at ground level and then white flowers on purple scapes at the same period, and the Athyrium niponicum ‘Pewter Lace’, a small fern with silvery fronds marked with burgundy. One can also pair it with the Hakonechloa macra ‘Naomi’, a Japanese forest grass which turns mahogany-purple in autumn, and the Hosta ‘Timeless Beauty’, small in size, with blue-green leaves and a yellow centre.