Could it be a sport?

bkay

Wow! I can't imagine that it would be so evenly corrigated if it was the virus. I think it looks very interesting. Can a plant sport only with texture not color like that? I wouldn't be quick to throw it away. Divide it and keep it in a pot to see what it does. Maybe it was caused by weather. I've had several that showed eyes with what looked like virus that were fine with the summer growth and fine the next year. If that is a sport, it would be one I would certainly buy. McT

Very interesting.
I'd post it on Hallsons to see what Chris has to say!

I'd be interested in seeing what Chris at Hallsons has to say about it, too. I was at a nursery the other day that had a ton of crumpled looking hosta and it did appear that at least a few of them were virused. (but they were uniformly crumpled, not 50% like yours).

Corrugated? LOL, in comparison to the straight leaves that looks more like it has the Measels with pimples and an itch, poor plant.

Hi Nance,

Yes, that is what Hosta Virus X looks like on So Sweet. That left part of the plant might not be infected (only testing would verify that) but the right part is badly infected with HVX, and probably has been for quite a while but just went unnoticed. I'd recommend throwing away the whole thing, then don't ever plant another hosta in the same spot. I guarantee you that is not a sport but is 100% virus.

Chris

Chris...
I find it interesting that the whole plant isn't showing signs.
Do you think this might be because the original plant might have been 2 separate eyes?

If it were my plant, out of sheer curiosity (cuz I'm weird like that), when I dug it up, I'd wash away the soil (not onto the garden) and see if the right and left sides are separate plants. I bet they are.

Those are interesting pictures. Thanks for posting them.

Thank you, Chris. I posted the pics because I feared the virus. As far as I know, this is the first instance of the virus in my gardens. I'll dig, bag and discard it, then plant an astilbe in its place. The plant came from a daylily friend who was divesting himself of hosta. His is a Horticultural Society Friendship Garden (that's some sort of national recognition). I don't think I'll tell him. Nance

I am wondering how much a test kit costs? Other plants with X just don't look right. This one looks great!

The Agdia tests are about $5 each.
I tend to trust Chris's opinion on these things!

I had a 'So Sweet' that showed something quite similar year before last. I kept hoping what I saw was frost/cold damage and decided I'd keep it in the ground until the next year, 2010 in this case, and it showed no better so it was outta here.

I was looking at a potted 'Undulata Albomarginata' this morning that looks suspect and once it has unfurled a bit more to allow me to make a final judgement it'll be gone as well I suspect.

Pieter

I noticed this one looked strange the other day. After reading the post, I went outside to see what is was and found that it is also So Sweet. I had it covered on the morning we had frost, but it has been subjected to some pretty cold weather. Is this the HVX virus? If so, I'll take it right back where I got it.

Virused. Take it back!

Pieter

Having two frosts last month and one this month has made for some ugly hostas for me. Ones that I have had forever and that have never looked this way. I think that if they get hit by frost during a certain stage of pip development it can have some ugly results that looks different than when a hosta is completely unfurled and gets hit by frost.

Since it is so early in the season I would wait awhile and see what the second flush of leaves looks like. If they look like the current leaves I would pitch it.

I am afraid I have just discovered a puckered So Sweet in my garden. It's from the same place that almost all my other encounters with HVX have been from.

As it was unfurling last week, I doubled it up with another So Sweet and not that they're both unfurled, I can clearly see that half of the plant is diseased.

Makes me sick.