History:
This selection is a sport of the popular variety, 'Francee', with wider leaf margins and brighter variegation. It was discovered at Mobjack Nursereis in Virginia; it was named and registered in the early 1990's by John Machen. 'Patriot' won the American Hosta Growers prestigious award for hosta of the year in 1997.
Lore:
This genus contains over 40 different species mostly native to China and Japan. H. plantaginea reached Europe in the 1780s, the species from which most modern hybrids descend. Due to the staggering number of existing hybrids that have been crossed and recrossed, plus the advances in tissue culture, ancestry of this and most modern hybrids is murky at best.