MINIATURE HOSTAS
The American Hosta Society has adopted the following requirement for miniature hostas:
> Leaf blade area must be less than 6.0 square inches (38.7 sq cm).
There is no restriction on clump spread.
The following list aims to be as inclusive as possible, presenting all unregistered plants which may qualify as miniature hostas by field measurements according to the above criteria.
For the convenience of on-line viewing, this list is broken down into two sections: Registered Miniature Hostas and Unregistered Miniature Hostas.
Click here to download and open the combined Miniature Hostas file in a new window/tab as an Acrobat file, or if you prefer simply right click on this link and save the file to the folder of your choice on your computer. The downloaded file is in column format and can easily be printed for handy reference.
AHS Unregistered Miniature Hostas 1, 2 |
||||
| Hosta Name | Originator | Leaf Size (length x width) 3 | ||
| 'Atom Smasher' | R. Livingston | 5.0 x 0.8 in. | 12.7 x 1.9 cm 5 | |
| 'Atomic Needle' | R. Livingston | |||
| 'Baby Sunspot' | D. Herzog | |||
| 'Beauty Little Blue' | J. van den Top | |||
| 'Beauty Little Blue Streaked' | J. van den Top | |||
| 'Bedspread' | Japan | |||
| 'Blauwichtel' | F. Köhlein | |||
| 'Cat Scratch Fever' | M. Zilis | |||
| 'Cat's Eye' | Japan/ Dan Heims | 2.0 x 1.0 in. | 5.1 x 2.5 cm 5 | |
| 'Chabo Unazuki' | Japan | |||
| 'Cheesecake' | P. Aden | 3.3 x 1.8 in. | 8.3 x 4.4 cm 5 | |
| 'Cherry Garcia' | R. Herold | 1.8 x 0.9 in. | 4.4 x 2.2 cm 5 | |
| 'Chickie Dix' | S. Schulte | |||
| 'Chishima Iwa' | Japan | 4.0 x 1.5 in. | 10.2 x 3.8 cm 5 , 6 | |
| 'Crater's Heart' | Japan | |||
| 'Crater's Rim' | Japan | |||
| 'Crepe Soul' | Naylor Creek Nursery | 4.0 x 1.0 in. | 10.2 x 2.5 cm 4 | |
| "Curley" (see venusta "Curley") | ||||
| 'Dancing Mouse' | M. Fransen | |||
| 'Early Sunrise' | Japan | |||
| 'Earth Star' | B. Janssen | |||
| 'Elfin Charm' | ||||
| 'Elizabeth' | D. Heinz | 4.0 x 0.9 in. | 10.2 x 2.2 cm 5 | |
| 'Ellie's Pigmy' | E. Spingarn | |||
| 'Fairest Maiden' | J. Schwarz | |||
| 'Fiddle-e-dee' | D. Herzog | |||
| 'Fireball' | A. Malloy | |||
| 'Fuji Sunrise' | Japan? | 2.5 x ? in. | 6.4 x ? cm 7 | |
| 'Fukurin Tsugaru Komachi' | Japan | |||
| 'Funny Mouse' | M. Fransen | |||
| 'Ghost Dancer' | V. Wade | 3.5 x 1.3 in. | 8.9 x 3.2cm 5 | |
| 'Ginger' | ||||
| 'Gold Petite' | ||||
| 'Golden Child' | ||||
| 'Goodman's Short Folks' | ||||
| 'Gosan Golden Dwarf' | W. Schmid | 3.5 x 1.0 in. | 8.9 x 2.5 cm 5 | |
| 'Grass' | G. Goodwin | |||
| 'Hacksaw' | R. Livingston | |||
| 'Half Pint' | R. Benedict | |||
| 'Harold's Thumb' | ||||
| 'Hime Yakushima' | ||||
| 'Himekomachi' | T. Ichie | |||
| 'Hydon Sunrise' | R. Benedict | 1.5 x 1.0 in. | 3.8 x 2.5 cm 8 | |
| 'Iszat U Emmerson' | R. Benedict | |||
| 'Kifukurin Otome' | Japan | |||
| 'Kii Hime' | Japan | 2.0 x 1.0 in. | 5.1 x 2.5 cm 5 | |
| 'Kitty Cat' | V. Wade & W. Zumbar | 2.3 x 1.3 in. | 5.7 x 3.2 cm 5 | |
| 'Kiwi Golden Thimble' | B. Sligh | 2.8 x 1.3 in. | 7.0 x 3.2 cm 5 | |
| 'Kyokkō' | Japan | |||
| 'Ko Iwa' | ||||
| 'Lakeside So Ho Baby' | M. Chastain | |||
| 'Lakeside Wing Ding' | M. Chastain | 3.0 x 1.0 in. | 7.6 x 2.5 cm 5 | |
| 'Lakeside Zing Zang' | M. Chastain | |||
| 'Lavender Dwarf' | Honey Hill Hostas | |||
| 'Little Devil' | H. Gowen | |||
| 'Little Jack Horner' | R. Benedict | |||
| 'Little Miss Muffet' | W. Zumbar | |||
| 'Little One' | M. Zilis | |||
| 'Little Stiffy' | R. Benedict | |||
| 'Long Beard' | 4.0 x 1.4 in. | 10.2 x 3.5 cm5 | ||
| 'Loyal Vassal' | B. Zumbar | |||
| 'Mandrake the Magician' | A. Malloy | |||
| 'Manzo' | Japan | 4.0 x 1.0 in. | 10.2 x 2.5 cm 5 | |
| 'Maurice Mason' | M. Mason | |||
| 'Microchip' | R. Benedict | |||
| 'Mini Face' | J. Anderson | |||
| 'Mini Man' | J. Anderson | |||
| 'Minima' | Japan/Gowen/Benedict | |||
| 'Minuta' | Japan | |||
| 'Miss Petite' | P. Aden | |||
| 'Mountain Fog' | Japan | 3.5 x 1.4 in. | 8.9 x 3.5 cm 5 | |
| 'Mouse Trap' | A. Wrede | |||
| 'Mrs. Beasley' | J. Schwarz | |||
| 'Munchkin Madness' | V. Wade | 4.0 x 1.6 in. | 10.2 x 4.1 cm 5 | |
| 'National Arboretum' | ||||
| 'Nike' | R. Herold | 2.3 x 0.7 in. | 5.7 x 1.7 cm5 | |
| 'Nikkō' | Japan | |||
| 'Nishikagawa' | Y. Hirose | |||
| 'Og, Son of Fire' | D. Beilstein & A. Malloy | |||
| 'Ogon Otome' | Japan | |||
| 'Oh Baby Mine' | ||||
| 'One Iota' | J. Anderson | |||
| 'One Iota Supreme' | J. Schwarz | |||
| 'Orphan Annie' | Japan | 2.0 x 1.0 in. | 5.1 x 2.5 cm 4 | |
| 'Osiris Petit Prince' | Les Jardins Osiris | |||
| 'Otome-no-mai' | K. Tanaka | |||
| 'Oze' | Japan | 2.5 x 1.6 in. | 6.4 x 4.1 cm 5 | |
| 'Papoose' | R. Benedict | |||
| 'Paradise Puppet' | M. Fransen | |||
| 'Paradise Sunset' | M. Fransen | 2.5 x 1.5 in. | 6.4 x 3.8 cm 4 | |
| 'Piedmont's Gold Miniature' | D. Stone | 3.0 x 1.5 in. | 7.6 x 3.8 cm 5 | |
| 'Pointed Leaf' | R. Benedict | |||
| 'Porter' | Walden West | |||
| 'Quill' | R. Herold | 4.5 x 1.3 in. | 11.4 x 3.2 cm 5 | |
| 'Red Dwarf' | D. Grenfell | |||
| 'Red Tubes' | Japan | |||
| 'Rosedale Lightning' | J. Hadrava | 3.4 x 1.5 in. | 8.6 x 3.8 cm 5 | |
| 'Rosedale Tick Tock' | ||||
| 'Ruffled Mouse Ears' | C. Wilson | |||
| 'Rushin Ruffles' | 3.0 x 1.0 in. | 7.7 x 2.5 cm5 | ||
| 'Saishu Jima Gold' | Japan/Soules | 3.5 1.0 in. | 8.9 x 2.5 cm 5 | |
| 'Saishu Jima Variegated' | P. Aden | |||
| 'Schrödinger's Cat' | ||||
| 'Shirobana Fuiri Koba' | ||||
| 'Shirobana Hime Iwa' | ||||
| 'Shirofukurin Koba' | Japan | |||
| 'Shirofukurin Otome' | ||||
| 'Shironakafu Otome' | ||||
| 'Short Folks' (see 'Goodman's Short Folks') | ||||
| 'Silver Heart' | 3.0 x 1.0 in. | 7.6 x 2.5 cm 5 | ||
| 'Silver Spring' | A. Malloy | |||
| 'Silver Twist' | ||||
| 'Snow Drop' | 4.5 x 1.3 in. | 11.4 x 3.3 cm 5 | ||
| 'Snow Mouse' | M. Fransen | N/A | ||
| 'Stormy Dance' | F. Smith | N/A | ||
| 'Suzuki Toenail' | ||||
| 'Tattle Tails' | M. Fransen | |||
| 'Ted's Friend' | Ch. Tompkins | |||
| 'Teddy Bear' | C. Falstad | 2.3 x 1.6 in. | 5.7 x 4.1 cm 5 | |
| 'Tiny Dancer' | R. Benedict | |||
| 'Tiny Temple Chimes' | Japan | |||
| 'Tiny Tot' | ||||
| 'Tom Thumb' | M. Fransen | |||
| 'Tsugaru Komachi' | Gotemba Nursery | |||
| 'Tsugaru Otome' | Japan | |||
| 'Uzu-no-mai Fukurin' | Japan | |||
| 'Valley's Liquid Green' | J. Linneman | |||
| venusta "Benedict Strain" | Japan | |||
| venusta "Curley" | ||||
| venusta "Maekawa Form" | 2.5 x 1.8 in. | 6.4 x 4.4 cm 8 | ||
| venusta "Mini" | ||||
| venusta "Onoda" | Japan | |||
| venusta "Shikoku" | Japan | |||
| 'Wanda Dove' | F. Nyikos | 3.3 x 1.1 in. | 8.3 x 2.9 cm5 | |
| 'Xanadu Mighty Mite' | V. & B. Skaggs | |||
| 'Yakushima' | Japan | |||
| 'Yakushima Mizu' | Japan | 3.0 x 1.0 in. | 7.6 x 2.5 cm 5 | |
| 'Yellow Kid' | A. Malloy | |||
| 'Yellow Submarine' | R. O'Harra | 4.0 x 1.5 in. | 10.2 x 3.8 cm 5 | |
| 'Zoomie' | W. Zumbar | 2.8 x 1.1 in. | 7.0 x 2.9 cm5 | |
1 Compiled and revised by Donald A. Rawson on 2/18/11. According to the AHS Judges Handbook, Section X: Miniature-leaved Unregistered Sports and Seedlings have a leaf size of <6.0 sq. in. (38.7 sq. cm.).
2 Many hostas do not have dimensions listed because their leaf lengths and widths are not reliably reported in the literature. Even so, their leaf blade areas are believed to be <6.0 sq. in. As reliable dimensions become available, they will be listed.
3 Leaf size, rounded to the nearest 0.1 inch (or the nearest 0.1 cm).
4 Diana Grenfell and Michael Shadrack, The New Encyclopedia of Hostas (Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2009).
5 Mark R. Zilis, The Hostapedia: An Encyclopedia of Hostas (Rochelle, IL: Q & Z Nursery, Inc., 2009).
6 May exceed AHS size criteria of <6.0 sq. in. for miniature-leaved hostas.
7 Hugo Philips, MyHostas Database
8 Van Wade, 2002 American Hosta Guide (Bellville, OH: Wade & Gatton Nurseries, 2002).
In an effort to keep this list accurate and up-to-date, please email all corrections and additions to