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 slow-growing plant with small leaves that emerge on creeping vines forming a dense mat over the soil before cascading down the sides of the pot. The leaves are fleshy, olive green mottled with silver. They are heart-shaped and up to 0.5 inches (1.2 cm) long. The unusual flowers appear in clusters and have fuzzy yellowish-green corollas, and the corona is off-white with a red or pink center.
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 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
