Unique flowers on a NOID

[Pieter]

Earlier this year I posted pictures of a couple of NOIDS and while a number of suggestion were thrown my way I never felt I'd nailed the ID.

As it happens they are proving to be early bloomers and one of the most unique features of these plants is in those flowers, there are filaments, but no anthers!

Initially it was suggested that what I have here might be 'Ghost Spirit'. Perhaps. My 'Ghost Spirit' has a couple of scapes, but no flowers as yet so it's hard to make a comparison just now. Do GS's flowers exhibit the same anomaly?



There are three plants in question, this misted medio-variegated and two blue ones that are undoubtedly the solid-coloured version of this. All three plants show the same kind of peculiar flowers.

[Tigger]

The solid color version could be the parent of Ghost Spirit, Valentine Lace. While the Hosta Library has decent pics of Ghost Spirit flowers, the pic isn't as clear as yours in showing anthers (or lack thereof), but the general color/pattern of the flowers matches. There aren't any good pics of Valentine Lace flowers. Viktoria is the expert on hosta flowers, so let's hope she sees this.

David

[Chris_W]

Hi Pieter,

When I saw this picture a while back my initial thought was that this was Ghost Spirit. At the time mine were still white and hadn't misted yet, but they have now, and my Valentine Lace are sending up scapes but not quite yet open. Do you have a picture of the solid ones? I still think that this is Ghost Spirit, or something close to it. Check the base of the scapes and petioles to see if they have a dark, grayish coloring, as this would help to ID is as the Valentine Lace family too.

[Pieter]

Yes, upon checking tonight I have to admit the scapes are dark grayish, almost a dull dark purple. I'll have to take a few pictures of those scapes and petioles and compare them with the one's on my 'Ghost Spirit', that one should be in bloom in about another 10-14 days. I'll be real interesting to see if its flowers have the same anther anomaly.

What threw me for a loop initially is that what I'm looking at has considerably more blue than what I see in my somewhat more mature 'Ghost Spirit'. And certainly the scapes on my GS are much lighter in colour, but that could well be due to its overall lighter colouration, with nary a sight of misting/ghosting thus far.

[steg]

Here are 2 pics of my Ghost Spirit. Mine has been flowering here in Ohio for a couple weeks now. It's located in a fair amount of morning sun.

[Pieter]

Thanks for the pictures, Steg. The flowers on yours clinch it, what I have is 'Ghost Spirit' and 'Valentine Lace', thanks to you and Chris for helping get to the bottom of this ID. What still puzzles me though is how blue mine are, if I check the Hosta Registry, 'Valentine Lace' is described as being "medium green", which mine are anything but this year, let's wait and see what next year brings....

[Tigger]

Pieter,

Note the origin of the plant in the registration: Nebraska. You're much more likely to see good blue colors in the PNW than in the plains states!

David

[Pieter]

Perhaps, David. But look at the NOID next to my GS in this shot....the GS looks much greener.....As said, let's see what next year brings, perhaps the narrower margin on the GS accounts for that...