INFORMATION FOR NEW HOYA GROWERS
Hoya have been around for a long long time and are an engaging plant to collect, great in tropical gardens, can live outdoors in some climates and they make interesting houseplants.
With some exceptions, Hoya are tropical/subtropical. They come from different areas of Asia, Australia and the South Pacific…some with a lot of humidity and some with a dry season. Most Hoya are vining, some hanging down and some climbing up. Some require deep shade and lots of water, some like bright light and to grow dry. There are about 300 Hoya in circulation and it is estimated there are many more yet to be discovered.
To understand growing Hoya, you should know how to grow tropicals indoors – Philodendrons are a good example. To meet the requirements of various tropicals is to meet the requirements of most Hoya. Imagination is needed, too.
The Question should NOT be HOW TO GROW HOYAS but HOW CAN I GROW HOYAS WITH MY CONDITIONS.
HOYA NAMES
Like ALL plant genera, Hoya names are in a constant flux as more and more is learned about them and with the advent of DNA. You may find that you have H. verticillata and someone shows a picture of H. acuta and it is the same Hoya. The explanation is that some of the forms of H. verticillata, have been found to be H. acuta…names change.
It is important that, IF you want to sell or trade with others, you stay in tune with the news: belong to a strong forum, subscribe to periodicals like STEMMA (published free and on-line), or the more serious publications. Usually in a good strong forum someone will inform as to changes or news. I strongly recommend www.DavesGarden.com or HoyasRUs@MSN.com DavesGarden is an informal group of all levels of collectors from the very knowledgeable to the newbie. The MSN forum is run by Christine Burton who is extremely knowledgeable and she shares her knowledge about Hoya. Ms. Burton is also known for her short temper and long diatribes but if you can keep your sense of humor and you don’t take it personally (and don’t ask dumb questions) you will learn good stuff.
As with all new clubs, it is a good idea to resource as much of the history and links on running forums so that you get information that has been covered already. At times a new post asks a question that has been answered/covered/explained many times before. The histories and the past posts of these forums are worth their weight in hoyas.
No matter what the names are, there are certain ways that plant names should be written to be understood by all. A few of them are:
EXAMPLE: Hoya carnosa = Genus name (Hoya) is written with a capitol H. The Species name is written with all lower case.
EXAMPLE: Hoya cv. Ruthie = tells you that Ruthie is a cultivar NOT a species. Hoya Ruthie is NOT correct as it means that Ruthie is a species (which it is NOT).
EXAMPLE: Hoya meliflua ssp. fraterna = fraterna is the subspecies name for that particular clone of H. meliflua .
No matter who you buy your plants from, all valid names are still undergoing changes and alterations.
H. cv. Iris Marie
ACQUIRING PLANTS
Trading plants thru forums or groups is done very very often and it is a good way to expand your collection. It IS important to know if the person you are trading with has verified that their names are correct or you may wind up with a lot of H. carnosa or H. australis traded or sold under different names. It is perfectly alright to ask where their plant came from: IML + # indicates the plant originated from David Liddle as in H. latifolia IML0088. David Liddle is the foremost grower and seller (and collector and researcher) of Hoya in the world. Often some forums have group’s purchases from David Liddle where you can participate.
EBAY The auctions on eBAY are a good place to get bargains…but make sure it is a bargain compared to what you could buy it for online. You will soon be able to tell the good sellers from the others… There are a few sellers with incorrectly labeled hoyas and a question on your forum should give you the answer. Check out sellers thru the Garden Watchdog on www.davesgarden.com
EA – Exotic Angel – Plant Seller EA produces beautifully grown hoyas with consistently wrong names. In a good forum you will be able to find the correct name with a picture. Also, be aware, that EA grows their plants with a moisture retention factor added to the soil. This means that the plants usually are over watered when bought and then lost. Some are successful keeping the original soil and watering from the bottom, otplants.
H. sp. Philippines IML0831
INFORMATION
There is a GREAT deal of information in the internet-some of it good, some really really bad!!! I can only give you some ideas of what I think better than most:
http://members.tripod.com/jbroton/hoyaphotos/id102.htm Good pictures and Ids
http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/botanicalterms.html Botanical Terms
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.php?search_text=hoya&submit=Search Good information on different hoyas
http://www.rare-hoyas.com/Catalog.htm Ted Greens Catalogue with good information on origin and growing conditions.
www.myhoyas.com An exceptional website with good studies of Hoya with lots of pictures and excellent information and many other links.
Visit all of the links. You will soon be able to determine the truth from the fiction.
H. australis is
SOME HOYAS I WOULD RECOMMMEND FOR BEGINNERS
H. australis There are many ssp. of H. australis in circulation, including variegated. There are also many seedlings people have carelessly introduced with no distinction of them being a seedling. ALL of them are good. The variegates are slower growers than the green leaf forms, which holds true with all plants.
H. carnosa. This hoya is very slow to bring to bloom so it is important (if flowers are important to you) to get H. motoskei (the original carnosa) or one that has bloomed. H. carnosa has a number of cultivars and different forms of leaf which many enjoy growing because of the exciting leaves.
H. pubicalyx + cultivars. These cultivars should be grown like H. carnosa and are often quicker to bloom. Their leaves are very interesting and their flowers different shades of pinks. I like the cultivars ‘Reva’ as it is a good bloomer with great color, and I like ‘Royal Hawaiian Purple’ and ‘Red Buttons’ for their flower colors.
H. heuschkeliana and H. lacunosa Both are small leafed, hanging hoyas, with small highly scented flowers…both enjoy the same warmth, light and humidity requirements.
Following is some information I have compiled to share.
Here is a compiled list of base temperature tolerances of some hoyas. This information is taken from Liddle's Nursery Catalogues of the past few years. It is a list of "base temperature tolerances" and is the lowest recommended tolerance. It should not to be taken as typical growing conditions.
C = Cool. Lowest temp. 50 deg. F.I = Intermediate Lowest temp 60 deg. FW = Warm Lowest temp 70deg.F
COOL
IML 6 australis ssp. australis 'Silver Valley' Qld.
IML 256 " " " 'Brookfield'IML 46 bella
IML 1437 bella, albomarginate form
IML 201 calycina ssp. calycina
IML 51, 158,98,43,44 carnosas
IML 186 compacta 'Krinkle 8'
IML 444 fungiiIML 54 globulosa
IML 154 kerriiIML 45 lacunosa var. pallidifloraI
ML 377 lacunosa var. lacunoseIML 139 linearis
IML 185 longifolia
IML 149 motoskei
IML 50 motoskei
IML 269 obovata
IML 352 pauciflora
IML 148 polyneura
IML 87 pottsii 'sp. Chiang Mai' from Thailand
IML (all pubicalyx)
IML 59 serpens
IML 48 sheperdii
IML 461 HSI 037
IML 90 lanceolata
INTERMEDIATE
IML 1418 aldrichii
IML 24 anulata (as well as IML 84 and IML 1120)
IML 414 archboldiana (as well as IML 541, 560)
IML 217 arnottiana
IML 5 australis ssp. australis (as well as IML 7)
IML 1 australis ssp. tenuipes (as well as 565, 144)
IML 772 benquetensis
IML 224 bhutanicaI
ML 228 bilobata
IML 775 bordenii
IML 1216 brevialata
IML 724 burtoniae
IML 554 callistophylla
IML 418 camphorifolia
IML 372 caudata (as well as IML 965)
IML 189 cembra
IML 1352 chlorantha
IML 545 chlorantha var. tuituilensis
IML 1101 chuniana
IML 329 cinnamomifolia
IML 734 citrina
IML 716 coriacea
IML 1164 curtisii (as well as IML 1160 H.curtisii from Thailand)
IML 892 davidcummingii
IML 1185 deykei
IML 482 dimorpha
IML 71 diptera (also IML 261, 266)
IML 83 diversifolia
IML 337 dischorensis
IML 1377 dolicosparte
IML 298 eitapensis
IML 415 erythrina (as well as IML 511)
IML 713 erythrostemma (as well as IML 1428)
IML 1007 excavata
IML 391 finlaysonii
IML 118 and 423 flavida
IML 1278 greenii
IML 1116 halophilla
IML 832 and 904 heuschkeliana (both the pink and the yellow forms)
IML 107 inconspicua
IML 187 incrassata
IML 1163 incurvula
IML 1054 ischnopus
IML 1580 kanyakumariana
IML 394 kentiana
IML 834 aff. kentiana
IML 92 limoniaca
IML 708 and 930 litoralis
IML 1161 lobbi
IML 987 loherii
IML 15, 16, 17, 220 and 449 macgillivrayi
IML 441, 1043, 1181 macrophylla
IML 152 magnifica
IML 735 meliflua and IML 124 meliflua ssp. Fraterna
IML 465 merrillii
IML 182 and 153 multiflora
IML 198 naumanii
IML 240 nummularoides
IML 234 and 1003 obscura
IML 1316 odettaea
IML 559 pachyclada
IML 421 padangensis
IML 97 parasitica
IML 454 parviflora
IML 391 pentaphlebia
IML 968 picta (syn. pubera)
IML 161 polystachya
IML 18,20,22,37,39,86,353,489 pottsii
IML 728 purpureo-fusca
IML 78 pusilla
IML 1342 retusa
IML 1395 and 1424 rigida
IML 192 samoensis
IML 518 schneei
IML 1127 subglabra
IML 1177 thomsoni
IML 62 tsangii
IML 146,79,738 verticillata (ridleyi), verticillata (acuta) and verticillata
IML 452 vitellina (syn. fuscomarginata)
IML 358 vitellinoides (syn. meredithii)
IML 100 sp. Aff. micrantha
IML 380 sp. Aff. chuniana currently in circulation as H. chuniana
IML 831 sp. philippines - thought to be the same as H. sariae
WARM
All of the Eriostemma section of Hoya
IML 80 anulata (USDA354247 - flowers white with pink corona, leaf edges undulate
IML 23 australis ssp. oramicola
IML 171 australis ssp. sanae
IML 1012 clemensiorum
IML 382 collina
IML 238 cominsii
IML 168 cumingiana
IML 955 dennisii
IML 1330 densifolia
IML 1155 hypolasia
IML 222 imperialis var. rauschiiI
IML 88 latifolia
IML 1098 megalaster
IML 768 mindorensis
IML 1575 mitrata
IML 559 pachyclada
IML 1096 and 1083 patella
IML 231 ruscifolia
IML 229 subcalva (BSI 1)
IML 1024 waymaniae
The following is from notes I took while talking with David Liddle about growth habits of some hoyas. This is not meant to be a "how you should grow your hoyas" but how the hoyas grow in the wild. Remember that hoyas basically grow where and how they can grab a foothold in nature: from crotches of trees where leaf litter accumulates, in a clump of moss on a branch etc. These growing condition are how David has found the hoyas he has collected.
H. albiflora - 2 monsoon region. Moisture necessary, moderate indirect light.
H. aldrichii - Grows slightly dry and warm.
H. archboldiana - Lowland trees and shrubs, high indirect light. Let it grow dryer in winter.
H. bella - From moist highland rain forest...constant moisture. CoolH. bhutanica - Grows dryer, moderate light
H. bordenii - Grows shady, moist, cool dim to moderate light.
H. callistophylla - From dark, deep shade. Grows wet.
H. campanulata - Found at edge of forest. High humidity and light.
H. caudate - High humidity and air movement.
H. cembra - Likes light and grows dryish.
H. citrina - Double monsoon area. From mangroves - moisture. Understory plant.
H. curtisi - Moist. Deep shade. Don't let it get dry.
H. davidcummingii - Found near Lake Bulisan in moderate shade.
H. dennisii - Deep shade.
H. deykei - Double monsoon area. Likes warm and shady, hates cold and wet.
H. doliocosparte - Found in a cleared forest under a log.
H. engleriana - Found at high altitude where it got fog at night during the dry season. Getting dry would probably kill the plant.
H. erythrina - Grows in understory with little light and lots of air movement.
H. erythrostemma - Found beside a river, shady, moist, good air movement.
H. flavida - Cool is OK.
H. fusca - Likes deep shade, moisture.
H. glabra - A wet forest climber, not full sun.
H. halophila - Found in mangrove swamps. Shade. Humidity.
H. hypolasia - High humidity. Air movement is the key.
H. inconspicua - Coastal. + light.H. kanyakumariana - would not like to grow wet.H. kerrii - grow open and dry.
H. latifolia - Shade. Understory plant.H. linearis - Grows dryish and cool.
H. lobbii IML 1161 - Found along streams, shady, humid.
H. loheri - Grows dryish and shady.
H. macgillivrayi - Single monsoon area. Moderate light, grow dryish in winter.
H. magnifica - Found in high altitude, in shade and lots of water.
H. megalaster - Found in deep shade, in the understory in the rainforest. High humidity.
H. mindorensis - Shade grower.
H. naumanii - Found in the understory, moist, low light.
H. nummularoides - Grows dryish.
H. odetteae - Grows moist but not wet in shade.
H. obtusifolia - From mountain areas + moisture + humidity
H. pachyclada - Grows dryish. Capable of withstanding long periods of drought.
H. padangensis - Grows dryish.
H. parviflora - Less light - grow like H. carnosa.
H. purpureo-fusca - Grows in midstory of forest, dim light + humidity.
H. pusilla - Dim light. + water + humidity.
H. sariae - From shady jungle.
H. scortechinii - Grow moist.
H. sp. 1280 aff. H. kentiana - Not too wet.
H. subglabra - Moderate to cool. Moderate light. Found in high altitude growing in the grass in an aging moss forest.
H. revoluta - Found at beach edge. Warm and lots of water.
H. rigida - Found in mangrove swamp with high humidity and moderate to bright light.
H. thomsonii - Found on rocks next to a stream. Grow cool, deep shade, high humidity. Air flow.
H. waymaniae - Found in understory, deep shade.
This message was edited Dec 29, 2007 8:01 AM
