Appearance

Growth form

A clump-forming perennial with short underground stems. All the leaves come up from the base on long stalks.

Leaves

In the typical Japanese variety, thick oval leaves are about 4–5 in (10–13 cm) long, and the stalks often have dark purple spots.

Flowers

In the typical Japanese variety, pale purple flowers about 1½ in (4 cm) long have six spreading tips.

Flowering time

The typical Japanese variety blooms in August and September.

Look-alikes

Fragrant plantain lilyHosta plantaginea

Fragrant plantain lily has large, scented white flowers. The typical Japanese rock hosta has smaller pale purple flowers.

Why they get mixed up · Both have broad leaves and are called hostas.

Siebold's plantain lilyHosta sieboldiana

Siebold's plantain lily has a much larger mound of broad, puckered leaves, often bluish in spring. Rock hosta has smaller, glossy, oval leaves.

Why they get mixed up · Both are broad-leaved hostas, and garden varieties can resemble either.

	Flowers	Leaves
Rock hosta	Pale purple	Smaller, glossy, oval
Fragrant plantain lily	Large, fragrant, white	Large, heart-shaped
Siebold's plantain lily	White	Large, thick, puckered

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• Rocky stream banks in Japan
• Mountain valleys in Japan

Range

It is native to Japan and not native to the US. Whether it also grows wild in Korea depends on how Korean plants are classified.

Preferred conditions

In Japan, the typical variety grows on moist rocks along streams and sometimes on tree trunks.

Name and classification

About the name

Some classifications include the plant called bibichu in Korea in rock hosta, but a 2017 Korean study calls it Hosta clausa var. normalis and does not consider rock hosta native there.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

NENot Evaluated·Not yet assessed

Culture and stories

Culture and stories

• The species name longipes means "long-stalked."
• The genus name Hosta honors Nicolaus Thomas Host, a 19th-century Austrian physician and botanist.