lance-shaped
having a narrow pointed leaf tip and leaf blade width less than half the length of the blade.

large
(see table.)

leaf blade
the thin, usually flat part of leaf excluding petiole.

lutescent
having leaves that begin the season darker and become lighter or more yellow as the season progresses; not the result of bleaching due to poor nutrition or too much sun.

maculata
Latin term for marked with a spot.

mature
(in Hosta) a plant with general characteristics that do not change with continued age.

medio-variegated
leaf or leaves having a lighter center than the margin color.

medium
(see table.)

melting out
necrosis of the white or lighter center of a hosta leaf.

meristem
the region of rapidly dividing cells of one of the growing points of a plant that further differentiate to produce shoots, roots, and flowers.

mid-rib
the center vein of a leaf.

misted
having small short segments of darker pigmented tissue on a lighter background, or vice versa.

mottled
blotched spotting on a leaf blade; i.e., H. 'Cynthia'.

mutation
a genetic change of DNA of an individual.

necrosis
the death or dying of cells, tissues or whole plants.

node
the meristematic place on a stem where a leaf is attached.

ovary
the basal portion of the pistil where eggs are contained.

ovate
(in Hosta) leaves egg-shaped.

panicle
an inflorescence with the main axis branched; i.e., H. tibae.

pattern
the particular type of variegation.

pedicel
the structure attaching an individual flower to the flower stem.

peduncle
(in Hosta) the main stem of the inflorescence; flower stem.

petal
(see tepal.)

petiole
leaf stalk.

phenotype
the visually observed characteristics of an individual; physical appearance.

photosynthesis
the process plants perform using chloroplast to produce carbohydrates by taking light energy, water and carbon dioxide.

piecrust
(in Hosta) a consistent rippled or crimped appearance limited to the outer edge of a leaf .

pistil
the female part of the flower consisting of style, stigma and ovary

pod
developed ovary or fruit.

pollen
the male gametes.

pollination
the transfer of pollen to a receptive stigma.

progeny
the offspring from sexual reproduction.

pruinose
(see glaucous.)

puckering
(see seersuckering.)

raceme
inflorescence with flowers attached individually to a main stem by pedicels.

revert
(in Hosta) change of a variegated sport back to its original solid color predecessor.

rhizomatous
having long reaching, underground horizontal stems; loosely spreading habit; i.e., H. clausa

scape
(in Hosta) the flower stem, peduncle.

seedling
a plant of seed origin resulting from the fusion of an egg and sperm (pollen).

seersuckering
the gathering of a leaf be tween the veins giving the leaf a bubbled effect as if a thread had been pulled out of a piece of cloth resulting in a long gathering of material.

selfing
the pollination of a clone by the same clone.

shoot
the stem and set of leaves of an individual division; dormant set of leaves all enclosed in a single set of leaf scales.

small
(see table)

species
the taxonomic division of freely interbreeding population of wild or naturally occurring individuals below genus.

speckled
small spotted irregular coloring.

splashed
having a variegation pattern that has many non-connected light and dark variegated sections usually in streaks run- ning nearly parallel to the midrib, an unstable form of variegation; i.e., H.'Beatrice'.

sport
an individual arising from the result of mutation, chimeral rearrangement, or mitotic recombination that is genotypically or phenotypically different from the original individual.