Comparing images and information from the web for Honeybells vs. Lancifolia, my inexpert eyes seem to see that: Lancifolia has narrower ("lance-like") leaves; Honeybells flowers are a little more white than lavender, while Lancifolia flowers a little more lavender than white; and Honeybells is larger (24"H x 50"W) than Lancifolia (more medium-sized 19"H x 44"W). Assuming I've accurately described the relative characteristics of these two varieties, then my forest of hosta would appear to be closer to Honeybells than Lancifolia on these three traits. But I am, of course, still open to correction from the experts. @ hosta-haven: if you want to PM me, I would be happy to expand your collection to 276 hostas. While I'm a newbie, I haven't seen any signs of HVX or crown rot on any hostas in my yard over the past six years. Just include a link on the best way to prepare bare root for shipping, since I've never done it before... Here is a link that might be useful: Hostaguy's collection of info and images

"Jon, I believe you wrote in a post that you have not had an HVX plant. If I am incorrect on this please say so.This is NOT an attack ! I am curious why you recommend this method when you have not tried it. I also would like help in determining a definition of what is considered dead. If HVX needs a living host then at what point is tissue no longer considered alive. Rob" I have not had any HVX in any of my hostas. I don't have a lot only about 75 or so and growing. I don't take it as an attack but in trying to protect my plants I have read the many postings on HVX and I have looked at the studies from several universities and in all the data available. That is my interest. I don't think that whether or not one has had any plants with HVX makes them any more or less expert. Each study clearly states that HVX cannot survive outside living hosta tissue. Each study also clearly stated that there was no means of transfer of the virus unless the infected plant was cut or scraped and fluid escaped. Also it was necessary to cut or scape a healthy plant in order to infect the healthy plant. When I saw recommendations to sterilize a shovel and dig up infected plants I saw several things wrong with this. First you will cut the diseased plant and introduce fluid. Second you may cut into healthy hostas and spead the virus. Third you may very well leave live tissue in the ground from roots that will remain as a source of contagion for over 2 years. It makes ultimate sense to me to kill the infected plant before digging it up. Why glyphosate? Commonly available. We did have expert advice that normal concentrations of glyphosate would not do the job on thick leaved hostas. I would suggest then concentrate not diluted to kill the hosta. In my opinion it might take 2 applications, but I cannot imagine a hosta living through having all its leaves painted top and bottom with a concentrate. I would mix in a little Dawn as well as this will help wet te leaves and may even help absorb the glyphosate. It is an anti-virus in the case of HVX. Many have given me a lot of "urban legends" about how the HVX virus may go dormant or how it can live outside of living tissue. 3 universities that have conducted experiments over the course of over 3 years say it doesn't happen. The claims that HVX can survive without live tissue or go dormant are old wives� tales. It is as simple as that. Some viruses can, HVX cannot and this is a proven fact. My system may not be proven, but these facts have been proven and re-proven. Digging up an actively virulent hosta is playing Russian roulette. Killing it first makes ultimate sense. You don't have to have had an HVX infection to know this. Paint the hosta top and bottom of each leaf with concentrated Roundup (Glyphosate) with a couple of shots of Dawn dishwashing detergent mixed in. Roundup says that their process is systemic and will kill weeds down to the roots in, at maximum, one month. Hostas may be tougher than the average weed so I recommend the concentrate and maybe repeat after a week. After it is shriveled up then it should be dead down to the roots and the virus as well. After a few months then it would seem to me there is no live tissue in the ground. The only real question is, how do you most effectively kill a hosta. Now, many of you may have a lot of experience in this. Not having killed one, I am an amateur. I can't think of any method that kills to the root more effectively than glyphosate. Have I done any experiments to prove this, no. All I know is that it makes ultimately more sense than taking a shovel and slicing into an HVX filled hosta. This is like a surgeon cutting into a festering infection. It makes absolutely no sense at all.

Lamprologus savorii -- is a species name ... all are genetically the same ... [the problem being.. of course.. prior to dna testing nobody could verify such.. and now its cost prohibitive] Lamprologus savorii 'Savorii' --- would be a 'named' .... hence the quote marks ... SELECTION of said species.. named for some distinct attribute... thereby making it not genetically the same as the species ... your example with plantiginea... is centered around the 6 inch flowers .. which to my mind is the defining characteristic ... and no seed progeny ... THAT I AM AWARE OF ... holds that trait ... so if you found a field of them.. and some had the more typical 3 to 4 inch flowers of seedlings .. they would not be plantginea the species .... that is all i care to know about the international nomenclature rules.. in regard to hosta ... i am pretty sure George Schmidt has link to all his research at the hosta library ... if i recall .. he has reduced many of the previously thought species to cultivar status ... but its been years since i read up on that stuff.. its not quite the kind of thing you go back and read for enjoyment.. lol ... ken ps: are you sure on china for plantiginea??? .. its such a warm zone plant.. i was thinking maybe further south .... or was les just working off the top of his head ... as i usually do.. lol..

I do Ken, and love it. I've downloaded tons of stuff on DNA. I never remember numbers. It is a waste of my gray matter when I've learned where to find them elsewhere. I'm a binary woman=1 or 2 or neither. So I know dna exists as a double helix, meaning two strands wrap around each other. Where they touch is a nexus. There are millions of them and they are supposed to match. It is at each nexus where genetic history is communicated. If just one nexus is mutant and doesn't match the result is a mutated organism. Usually it is insignificant and the mutation regresses, but doesn't really go away. However, during reproduction (particularly when a species has a rapid reproduction cycle, like fish and hostas) it is more likely the mutation becomes stronger and a knew, in our case hosta comes into existence. Since hostas develop completely new leaves each season, this explains why seedlings often revert back to green. Solid green absorbs sun energy better and the plant has no need to retain the variegation. My Guacamole gets a goodly amount of sun and is rather unspectacularly variegated. It looks much like a dark plantaginea with slightly rounded leaves. It rained all day yesterday (Yay!) but only totaled 1/4". Until yesterday I hadn't received 1/10" total for July. Normal is over 4". But it is raining again this morning. I didn't want to lay on wet ground observing hostas. So I still have to put together the information I am developing Idiothe (I am just now making sense of you forum name :o I will tell you another way to tell them apart other than viability (I think).Look at the shape of the base of the leaf where it meets the pets. In what I believe to be cathayana the edge of the leaf conjoins the pet more in the shape of a "V", with straight edges. In Lancifolia it can be described better as a "U", with no notch. Both are oblong rather than lance shaped with the Lancifolia being slightly more so. The length to width ratios are different with the cathayana being narrower. Both have equally acute tips. If you like you can follow this in Shmids work on species hostas. This is a bit lengthy, but are not subjects that can be glanced over and understood. I am trying to make it as easy to understand as possible, and as I am typing I am not looking at notes. Not taking anything away from forum members, but I refer to my ability or inability to accurately communicate my thoughts Theresa This post was edited by gogirlterri on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 9:01