narrowleaf plantain lily
Hosta lancifolia (Thunb.) Engl.
Narrowleaf plantain lily forms a low mound with an upright, vase-shaped outline. Missouri Botanical Garden describes the foliage clump as about thirty centimetres high, with flower stems rising above it. Its spreading growth allows it to form a dense groundcover or an edging beside other perennials. Missouri Botanical Garden: Hosta lancifolia
Botanical name
Kew accepts Hosta lancifolia (Thunb.) Engl. as a species. The North American flora notes its parallel horticultural treatment as Hosta ‘Lancifolia’. Kew POWO: Hosta lancifoliaSERNEC: Hosta lancifolia, FNA and Morton Arboretum accounts
Recognizing the plant
The deep olive-green leaves are lance-shaped, tapering to a long point, with five or six pairs of prominent side veins. Upright leaf stalks can show purple dots near their bases. Slender flowering stems rise to around forty or fifty centimetres and carry loose clusters of ten to twenty flowers. The unscented blooms are violet, with a tube opening into recurved lobes and purple anthers. Seed capsules rarely develop. SERNEC: Hosta lancifolia, FNA and Morton Arboretum accounts
Bloom window
Chicago region
The Morton Arboretum account records flowering from late July through August. SERNEC: Hosta lancifolia, FNA and Morton Arboretum accounts
Native range
Kew describes its origin as a cultivated plant from the Russian Far East to Japan. In North America it is introduced, with the Chicago flora recording occasional escapes into ditches and sites containing discarded garden material. Kew POWO: Hosta lancifoliaSERNEC: Hosta lancifolia, FNA and Morton Arboretum accounts
Botanical sources
- Kew POWO: Hosta lancifolia
- SERNEC: Hosta lancifolia, FNA and Morton Arboretum accounts
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Hosta lancifolia
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.