Hosta Software

[Plantstep]

Hello,
I am looking for some Hosta experts to help me build the new Hosta section for the Flower program.

What I am looking for is the fields to create to enter all info for a Hosta.

I have visited the AHS website but I have not found a place that describes all the characteristics of a Hosta.

So far I have ( I will use "A Very Good Boy" as a sample )

Name: A Very Good Boy
Hybridizer: E. Elslager
Year Registered: 2005
Pod Parent: F-1 seedling of H. Dorothy Benedict
Pollen Parent: unknown
Description: large leathery corrugated blue-green leaves with white backs and flowers
Season Color Change
Plant width: 46
Plant Height: 34
Plant Habit: mound like (is there a list of habits ???? )
Growth Rate: medium (is there a list of rates ???? )
Plant Size: large (is there a list of sizes ???? )

Leaf length: 11
Leaf Width: 11.25
Leaf Color: blue-green
Vein Pairs: 14 to 15 ( are there ranges ???? )
Leaf Apperance: moderately cupped, deeply corrugated, moderately leathery
Leaf Shape: nearly round (is there a list of shapes ???? )
Leaf Base: Cordate ( is there a list of bases ???? )

Scape Height: 40 to 42 ( is this a range or can it be a single size ???? )
Scape Color: glaucous green
Scape at Maturity: inflorenscence leaves

Flower Length: 2.1
Flower Color: near white
Flower Shape: tubular ( is there a list of shapes ???? )
Flower Color: pale purple striped, translucent edge
Fragrance: false

Sets Pods: true
Seed Viability: sets viable seeds
Seed Pod Color: green

Are there other fields that should be included ?

Thanks for your help,
Kent

[ViolaAnn]

Wow! An ambitious undertaking.

You have room for pod and pollen parents, but what about sports? A large number of Hosta varieties originate as sports.

"Plant size" seems to be a difficult issue. some people determine it by height, others by leaf size, or by width of the plant. And you can get Hostas with small leaves which eventually form a very large clump. AHS has some guidelines as to what can be called various sizes for THEIR standards.

I'm sure others will have other thoughts.

Ann

[scootersbear]

go to the Hosta Library under Hugo Data..Most of this data is there, although not fully complete but it's pretty good

[dmi188]

For a list (and pictures) of the various leaf shapes and leaf bases, print out a registration form from the registrar site. Page 2 contains this info.

[Rob]

Hello Kent,

I've been working for the best part of a year now on a Hosta database in Access, based on the information provided by the Hostaregistrar, and, for the non-registered cultivars, on information gathered from the WWW, and on my own observations when signifacant data are missing.
I can assure you it's a tedious and time consuming job. It takes an absolute hosta geek to do it.

It started out as a background DB for my website, but I've come to realize it's evolving into a great tool that should be shared with the entire hosta community, all over the world.
Therefore I'm planning to share it freely with those sources I consider highly valuable for the Hosta world, like the Hosta Library, the AHS, the BHHS, the NHV, etc.
I don't know what the Hosta section of the flower program is, but if it proves to be a valuable source of information for the hosta community, I'll share my DB with pleasure.

To give you an idea about the information the database contains, here are the fields of the main table:
tblHosta_HostaID
tblHosta_HostaName
tblHosta_SynonymOf
tblHosta_PlantSize
tblHosta_PlantShape
tblHosta_PlantDiameter
tblHosta_PlantHight
tblHosta_GrowthRate
tblHosta_StoloniferousRhizomatous
tblHosta_Density
tblHosta_LeafSize
tblHosta_LeafLength
tblHosta_LeafWidth
tblHosta_LeafColorCentre
tblHosta_LeafColorEdge
tblHosta_SeasonalVariation
tblHosta_UnderLeaf
tblHosta_UpperLeaf
tblHosta_Mottled/Streaked/Splashed/Speckled
tblHosta_LeafShape
tblHosta_LeafBaseShape
tblHosta_LeafTipShape
tblHosta_LeafCupped
tblHosta_LeafCupDirection
tblHosta_LeafRugosity
tblHosta_LeafTexture
tblHosta_LeafUndulation
tblHosta_LeafMarginWidth
tblHosta_LeafMargContort
tblHosta_LeafMargSize
tblHosta_LeafVeinsNumberPairs
tblHosta_LeafVeinProminence
tblHosta_LeafVeinColor
tblHosta_PetioleSize
tblHosta_PetioleShape
tblHosta_PetioleColor
tblHosta_PetioleMarginColor
tblHosta_ScapeHeight
tblHosta_Scape Color
tblHosta_SterileBractsShape
tblHosta_SterileBractsColor
tblHosta_FertileBractsShape
tblHosta_FertileBractsColor
tblHosta_BloomSize
tblHosta_BloomColor
tblHosta_BloomShape
tblHosta_BloomStriped
tblHosta_BloomingPeriod
tblHosta_RebloomsPeriod
tblHosta_DoubleBlooms
tblHosta_BloomFragrance
tblHosta_SetsViableSeed
tblHosta_PodColor
tblHosta_SunTolerant
tblHosta_SlugResist
tblHosta_BogTolerant
tblHosta_DroughtTolerant
tblHosta_NotableCharacteristics
tblHosta_YearIntroduction
tblHosta_YearRegistration
tblHosta_Originator
tblHosta_Namer
tblHosta_Introducer
tblHosta_Registrar
tblHosta_Patents
tblHosta_ParentageUnknown
tblHosta_PodParent
tblHosta_PollenParent
tblHosta_SportOf
tblHosta_SeedlingOf
tblHosta_InCollection

All of these fields, with exception of the last one, provide general information about the hosta.
The database contains 5965 records at the time.

'Nother couple of months, and it should be finished.

Next problem is the continuous ammending and updating of the database, but we'll see about that later.

Greetings from the Hosta Mill,

Rob

[Plantstep]

Hello Rob,
Thanks so much for sharing your fields, you sure do have a comprehensive list of fields.

I never knew there were so many fields and variations for hosta.
I hope I have not bit off more than I can chew ...

Thanks also to ViolaAnn, scootersbear and dmi188 for your help.

I am making good progress,
Thanks again,
Kent

[Carol W]

http://www.plantstep.com/

[Rob]

Hello,

Thanks Carol, now I know what it is and can assume what it does.

Maybe I should go commercial to ! LOL

When it's done, I'll try to find the best way to make it available on line for every Hosta enthousiast, for free !

Greetings,

Rob

[Diana]

I hope he compensates all of you for your contributions once he sells his software! He wasn't exactly up-front regarding his reasons for collecting information.

-Diana

[Chris_W]

Hi Kent,

It sounds like you have most of what you need. Like Denise mentioned, you can get definitions for various leaf shapes on the AHS registration form:

http://www.americanhostasociety.org/PDF ... m2005a.pdf

You will also find different characteristics on the same form that would likely be more than enough for the program. Keep in mind, when hostas are registered not all of that information is filled in, so people aren't going to have all that information to add much of the time.

As for being a commercial enterprise looking for input, I could tell right off the bat that's what you were doing it for, but I don't think that in itself is a crime, just maybe be more up front about something like that in the future

Good luck with your endeavor!

Chris

And Rob, if you need help with a database such as entering and updating/managing it, I would be happy to help you out any way possible. I usually have a little spare time in the winter and am always looking for this type of information for my catalog but much of what is out there never gets updated so there can be a lot of missing newer information. Just let me know - Chris