Scientific Name
Hoya curtisii King & Gamble
Common Names
Fung Wax Flower, Hoya Aloha, Porcelain Flower
Scientific Classification
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Tribe: Marsdenieae
Genus: Hoya
Description
Hoya curtisii is a very dainty, tiny, creeping vine with up to 0.5 inch (1.2 cm) long, heart shaped leaves mottled with silver. It is a slow grower in the beginning, but when it takes off it gets to be a very full and healthy looking plant. The unusual flowers have fuzzy, yellowish-green corollas and corona is off white with red or pink center.
Photo via flickr.com
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 11a to 11b: from 40 °F (+4.4 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Hoyas don’t ask for much, beyond the well-draining soil and the warm humid conditions that many tropical flowers crave. They don’t like wet feet or heavy soil and as many grow as epiphytes in nature. Give them at least a half day of sunshine, and bring them indoors when temperatures drop below 50 °F (10 °C).
Hoya finishes blooming, leave the flower stalk, as it may produce new flowers. Removing the stalk forces the plant to produce a new stalk, which delays blooming and wastes the plant’s energy. They are light feeders and a monthly drink of compost tea or dilute fish emulsion provides all the nutrition these tropicals need. Hoyas like the security of a snug pot and plants that are a bit root bound will flower more prolifically than those that are swimming around in a giant pot.
Propagate Hoyas by cuttings of top growth or by leaf cuttings. The average cutting or leaf start will produce a blooming plant in 2 years or less. The easiest method of propagation is by layering… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Hoya
Origin
Native to Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.
Links
- Back to genus Hoya
- Succulentopedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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