Hosta Alliteration (Seeds)

Description

Open Pollination (O.P.) seeds from Hosta Alliteration, Originator Stock from Rod @ Northern Grown Perrenials. Hard to call this a streaker, it’s one-of-a-kind. Splashed, marbled, chaotic markings. No two leaves are the same. A seedling from Cynthia, another crazy hosta. File this one under “looks like it has a virus” to some, but doesn’t (we know, our plant has been tested for HVX multiple times, just out of curiosity)!

Viridescent…shows crazy patterns in the spring but turns green by summer. Good large size, sets lots of seeds. So far, only reports back have said they only got green seedlings, although Rod Lsyne, its originator, says “As a parent, this ‘Cynthia’ kid has produced some promising offspring which we are evaluating for future introduction.”

The genetics of the mottling in the leaves is entirely unknown. That said, Alliteration is the result of a back-cross to its grandmother, Cynthia. Specifically, Alliteration is from (Invocation X Cynthia), and Invocation is the result of (Cynthia X Piedmont Gold). While I’ve never asked Rod about this breeding project, in other areas of plain, single-gene Mendelian genetics, this could imply some sort of recessive genetic trait for mottling. Just a total hypothesis…what we’ve heard from people growing Alliteration seed is that they just get green offspring…if that’s the case, it may be that, once again, you might have to take those offspring and ideally mate them back to Alliteration or even Cynthia, and then you’ll find a percentage of mottled offspring. Or, try mating the OP Alliteration seedlings to each other, although the odds of finding the right two siblings to pair up are lower than if you back cross to one of the ancestors. That is, of course, presuming that the absolutely crazy mottling is the result of some single recessive gene. Maybe we’ll hear from other people rearing seed and telling of different results? You won’t know unless you try.

Despite the rarity, we have opted to send out 50-seed packets in years past, and may continue to do so, treating these seeds more like those from non-streaked pod parents.

Check out our photos of it on the Hosta Helper, more at the Hosta Library, and learn more at Northern Grown Perennials.