my clausa squared ... clausa var clausa is about 8 by 8 FEET ...

has swallowed 6 or 8 surrounding hosta ...

and has the most glorious pink and purple flowers

ken

sounds like I can replace one of my Lancifolia floats with clausa. I really love the deep purple flowers, and there are a lot of them.

Les

Les,

Here's a H. clausa var. normalis root from last year. Yes, it was potted, thank goodness, but this gives you an idea of how rhizomatous it can be and how quickly and widely it potentially can spread.

Pieter

Would you rather have clausa spec. normalis (see blossoms in 1st photo) or vinca minor as a ground cover?

Les

I consider August Moon kind of in the "invasive" category in my yard because it is such a fast increaser that I can't keep up with how often it needs to be split so it won't swallow up the hostas next to it. I have it in multiple places because I use it to "tie together" the landscape. When I split it(which is like digging in cement), I plant one with 2-3 eyes and plenty of room between it and the next plant, and two years later it has S P R E A D to 20 eyes and swallowing up everything again! It absolutely thrives on neglect, too! I have given clumps of it to my sister to feed the deer. However, I would NOT consider completely getting rid of it or sorry I got it.

'Rhizomatous'. Such an education I'm getting. Now I have to figure out what good it does to be old and smart.
Christine

Rhizomes are modified stems that run underground, allowing the plant (i.e. H. Clausa) to reproduce itself asexually. Stolons are modified stems that do the same thing but they run above ground. I'm pretty sure that H. Clausa is rhizomatus not stoloniferous.

Steve

I aagree. I couldn't remember which when I did my research on it. Strangely, when I was reading about clausa var. normalis, nothing was included about spreading undergreound (beyond the crown increasing in size) but under clausa var. clausa, I think which doesn't flower, it is mentioned. The other variety of clausa (can't remember the var.) has flowers but they don't open and it is also mentioned it is rhizomatus. So I assumed normalis is also. Steve-help with the three variations please.

Les

Pieter is much more knowledgeable about H. clausa than I am. I don't grow it. This is from the Library.

clausa is a Korean species known in Japan as Tsubomi Giboshi, meaning "closed flower ball ( = bud) hosta." It is also known under the name clausa var. clausa. It occurs in central and northern Korea and is the form with closed flowers. According to Schmid, plants with this form are very rare in the wild. It and clausa var. normalis are basically the same species, although the former is a sterile triploid and the later a fertile diploid.

Steve

Ken, you should send a photo of that to the Hosta Library!

Deanna

I've never met a hosta I'd call invasive as I find them relatively easy to chop back if they are rhizomatous. I do have two that are particularly apt to form disorganized colonies rather than neat clumps... kikutii yakusimensis and Otome No Ka

There are 5 subspecies of clausa, you will find 4 of them in this PDF on the HL and the 5th one is here. I received my original plant as a NOID a number of years ago and initially I thought it might have had 'Lancifolia' on my hands, but the flowers ultimately ended up clinching it. And man, they're purple them flowers! Love 'em!

Pieter

My Clausa spreads pretty well,but it is in an area where it doesn't affect any other hostas. I put it there years ago,to make a ground cover. Stiletto spreads,but I would hardly call it invasive. I kinda like the way it spreads. Phil

Pieter, thanks for your response. I had to laugh because it read just as I would have written mine, confusion with Lancifolia and all. I'd decided mine is H.v. normalis because the flowers open. But now I think I might have your 5th sub-species.

If clausa is normally considered invasibe, I would gladly invade my whole mulberry jungle with it and let it do its thing. (LOL) I love the dense and vivid flowers.

Les

Could you post a picture of your spread (pref. in bloom), and maybe a close-up of your clausa hosta freak?

Les

Yellow Splash Rim ! It's in a lot of sun and has a weeping hose buried past it, and I have to carve it to pot up for others every spring.

Better that than the alternative, huh??

hh

I have a plain green leaf hosta, purchased from Walmart about 16-17 years ago. It does not clump, it sends out runners! In my grass, everywhere, hard to kill. I am so mad at them for selling this invasive plant, probably from China..

Pathann- This is a 3 year old post. If you will start a new post with a photo it would be fun to see this "invasive" hosta and you will get more replies.

-Babka