Swamp Hosta (Hosta longissima)

Family: Funkiaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Hosta longissima is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Young leaves and leaf stems - cooked. — Young leaves and leaf stems - cooked.

Habitat & North American Range

Swampy grassland and other wet places, often exposed to full sun in the spring but then shaded in the summer by the long grasses it grows amongst. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)