Tropicals & Tender Perennials: HOYA AUSTRALIS- a brief history, 0 by markroy68

markroy68 wrote:
DISTRIBUTION- All ssp. of australis are found naturally occuring on the Australian continent. In addition, ssp. australis and ssp. tenuipes are also found naturally occuring in Melanesia and Papuasia. They have many forms, especially ssp. australis, and this with it's wider distribution has led to many of it's misnomers.
Hoya australis probably has several pollinators in habitat. One well documented one is Ocybadistes walkeri, usually grouped with butterflies although it is moth-like, and is diurnal. Birds pollinate clones of australis in David Liddle's Australian nursery, and in cultivation elsewhere it has been bee-pollinated. It's white flowers and heavy scent suggest that it may have a nocturnal pollinator, although these traits may have evolved to attract dawn or dusk-active species.
The map which accompanies this post is a public-domain image.