Hosta 'Purple Heart'

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ViolaAnn
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Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by ViolaAnn »

What is the story about this one? I bought it a year ago last September. Seems to be a Terra Nova "limited release" from 2010 and seems now to be unavailable. Does anyone know the story behind it and any information about its origin?

Hosta Registry: not registered in September 2014
My Hostas Database: http://myhostas.be/db/hostas/Purple+Heart
Hosta Library: http://www.hostalibrary.org/p/purpleheart.html
'Purple Heart' August 2015
'Purple Heart' August 2015
'Purple Heart' flower Sept. 2014 - a few days after I bought it
'Purple Heart' flower Sept. 2014 - a few days after I bought it
Ann
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redcrx
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by redcrx »

I've never seen any information on its heritage.

It seems to be available at some sites.

I have posted some photos highlighting its leaves and petioles in the past:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=54871&hilit=purple+heart

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=58055&hilit=purple+heart
Ed McHugh, Sicklerville NJ
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Carol O
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by Carol O »

I bought one several summers ago. I first saw it at one nursery in a gallon pot for about $28, then went to another nursery (both in Portland, OR) and bought it for $2.99 in a 4" pot. It's done well and set seeds that I have grown, but I never could find anything on it's background.
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redcrx
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by redcrx »

It's weird the Terra Nova web site doesn't mention it.

I seem to remember something about trying to get red color into the leaves and they had been working on it for years. And it was a very complex hybrid but no details.
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Chris_W
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by Chris_W »

We sold it for a couple years and didn't keep it in production because it was PPAF and Terra Nova only sold it a couple years. Unfortunately they didn't handle the wholesale pricing on it that well, selling it for something like $7.99 per tiny plug one year and then something like $1.99 the next, so lots of nurseries that bought it upon introduction (like us) got caught with our pants down when the price dropped out on it.

Terra Nova was working with hybrids of Hosta Bronze Age but I have no idea if this was one of the plants from that breeding program or not. They discontinued Purple Heart so fast that it just never stayed on the market. By now I don't think many people would likely have stock since propagation is prohibited, unless they still have clumps.

This was the page we had up when we sold it, but won't have it ever again:

http://www.perennialnursery.com/hosta-purple-heart.html
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ViolaAnn
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by ViolaAnn »

Too bad. It appears to be a nice hosta. I guess if mine grows well (it's too young still to know), I could divide it as I don't believe the PPAF applies in Canada. Might make a good auction plant for the Horticultural Society. :D
Ann
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redcrx
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by redcrx »

Thanks Chris. It was that "Bronze Age" reference I couldn't remember.

To me this plant is grown for its flowers - lots of them on black scapes through September.

Here's a couple from a few years ago.

Purple Heart
Purple Heart - September 9, 2012
Purple Heart - September 9, 2012
Purple Heart - September 3, 2013
Purple Heart - September 3, 2013
.
Ed McHugh, Sicklerville NJ
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Bill Meyer
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by Bill Meyer »

Hi All,

There was a guy named Gary Gossett who was working for Terra Nova. He wanted to develop hostas with red in the leaves and came up with Bronze Age. Something went wrong with the plant and it never went anywhere. Nobody would be talking about First Blush if Bronze Age had worked out. I wonder if Terra Nova still has it.

A few years later Terra Nova came out with Purple Heart, Raspberry Sundae, and Aquamarine. There was some kind of falling out between them and Gary and he left. Terra Nova seemed to lose interest in hostas then. The Aquamarine that came out reportedly had HVX and was recalled. I heard there were some clean ones that they released later.

TN was always closed-mouthed about the background of any of their plants, and never let out what the parentage is. They prefer to be mysterious. A lot of the heuchera "breeding" is just growing the seed of open pollinated plants, but they like to call it a "breeding program".

Purple Heart is patented so they followed through on the PPAF. Ann, most countries including Canada recognise US patents. Since TN holds the patent they can either start selling it again or sell the rights to somebody else. It's their plant to do what they want with.

............Bill Meyer
If you thought the auction was fun, come to the meeting!
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ViolaAnn
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by ViolaAnn »

Thanks. Fascinating learning all this.
Ann
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by Don Rawson »

According to a September 2010 posting on the Hosta Hybridizer's webpage at http://www.hostahybridizers.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=97, Dan Heims gave the following vague description of the background of 'Purple Heart': "Our plants are a 10 year culmination of crosses that started with an amazing group of Hosta that I brought back from Japan. A particularily black-marked H. rupifraga started it, then select backcross, select, select. Gary Gossett was our Hosta breeder back then. I heard rumors of yellow-flowered and red-flowered Hosta when I was in Japan, but never saw them."

The patent for 'Purple Heart' gives this statement regarding the background: "The plant is the culmination of a breeding program for red petiole and leaf base Hosta. It was bred in Canby, Oreg. using unpatented proprietary parents. The exact parents are unknown."
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redcrx
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by redcrx »

Don, what is "black-marked"? I know rupifraga may have the blackest scapes I've seen.
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ViolaAnn
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by ViolaAnn »

Thanks, Don.
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by Don Rawson »

Ed, you asked what is meant by "black-marked". That is a direct quote from Dan Heims and I'm not precisely sure what he means. I can only suppose that the scapes and/or petioles of the plant from Japan had some dark speckles on them.

From the reading I've done, there's some variation in the intensity of red petiole color in native populations of longipes var. latifolia (see Mark Zilis' Field Guide to Hostas, page 183), which is closely related to rupifraga. However, according to Zilis, rupifraga itself (the true form) has green petioles, not red (The Hostapedia, page 800). If that is the case, it indicates that the specimen obtained from Japan by Terra Nova (which was instrumental in the development of 'Purple Heart') was actually longipes var. latifolia, not rupifraga.

This is further supported by W. George Schmid in his most recent "Species Update" posted on the Hosta Library. He says rupifraga is closely related to longipes var. latifolia, but is not identical and should remain classified as a separate taxon. Schmid states that rupifraga, however, has seagreen petioles, not red.

Ed, you mentioned you've seen a rupifraga with very dark scapes. Can you elaborate on that? It sounds like most of the plants sold as rupifraga in the U.S. are actually longipes var. latifolia. Schmid says that the true form of rupifraga has green scapes which are purple-dotted in the lower half.
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redcrx
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by redcrx »

Sorry Don, I misspoke - I was thinking of Red Dragon when I mentioned dark scapes which I have growing next to rupifraga.

My rupifraga does have dark scapes just not the darkest.
rupifraga - September 10, 2014
rupifraga - September 10, 2014
rupifraga - September 22, 2014
rupifraga - September 22, 2014
rupifraga - September 13, 2012
rupifraga - September 13, 2012
I did some comparisons a couple of years ago.
These are late season leaf petioles.
On the left is rupifraga while the center and right longipes latifolia.
rupifraga & longipes latifolia - September 10, 2013
rupifraga & longipes latifolia - September 10, 2013
rupifraga & longipes latifolia - September 10, 2013
rupifraga & longipes latifolia - September 10, 2013
Ed McHugh, Sicklerville NJ
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Don Rawson
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by Don Rawson »

Yes, 'Red Dragon' (and 'Black Mamba') have very dark scapes. Both of these Ron Livingston hybrids have the same parentage ('Elvis Lives' X plantaginea) X 'Red Neck Heaven'. 'Dragon Warrior' (Jan van den Top), an attractive variegated sport of 'Red Dragon', would have the same dark scapes as well. From the pics on the Hosta Library however, it appears the leaf petioles are not as dark as the scapes.

I know we're a little off-topic here, since this thread is intended to be for hosta 'Purple Heart'...hope our readers don't mind... Thanks for showing us the petioles of rupifraga and longipes latifolia. They're somewhat different from each other, but neither one is saturated with red or purple pigments...
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redcrx
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by redcrx »

By searching on the developer's name "Gary Gossett" a bunch of relevant items show up - here is one -
http://www.google.com/patents/USPP22725
Ed McHugh, Sicklerville NJ
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by Don Rawson »

Bill, you mentioned 'Bronze Age', a hybrid developed by Gary Gossett at Terra Nova. (See the pic in the Hosta Library.) They still have it at Terra Nova in a back garden plot, but aren't using it in their current hybridizing program. Now they're working with progeny from it which is reported to be much nicer- blues with purple color in the leaf. However, not sure when they will introduce anything. I think Terra Nova prefers to release new hybrids which are nearly pod sterile, so they may make a selection based primarily upon that characteristic.
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by redcrx »

Purple Heart growing in a trough started opening its flowers today. One I had in the ground fell apart this season, don't know why.
Purple Heart - September 11, 2016
Purple Heart - September 11, 2016
Purple Heart - September 11, 2016
Purple Heart - September 11, 2016
Purple Heart - September 11, 2016
Purple Heart - September 11, 2016
Ed McHugh, Sicklerville NJ
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by Chris_W »

Is that a white centered sport starting on part of your Purple Heart? That sure would be neat if it was!
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redcrx
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Re: Hosta 'Purple Heart'

Post by redcrx »

No, that's Mango Tango in the same trough.
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