Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Hoya macgillivrayi, F. M. Bailey -In Habitat and Cultivation, 1 by mattadeus

mattadeus wrote:
NB - Please post any comments or questions you may have about this article in the thread entitled 'Hoya of the Month', http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/574138/ rather than in this thread.

Thanks. M


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1. INTRODUCTION

The species name macgillivrayi was given in honour of Dr. William David Kerr Macgillivray (1867-1933), a physician, ornithologist and naturalist who went on several important expeditions to northern Queensland, and who collected the type specimen.
Hoya macgillivrayi was first published in CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF QUEENSLAND, Queensland Agricultural Journal, Vol.1 p. 190 in 1914.

Hoya macgillivrayi is native to the monsoonal rainforests of the McIlwraith Range; a relatively high-altitude plateau (maximum altitude 824 m), in the Mungkan Kandju National Park, and the Tozer Range in the Iron Range National Park: both of which are located on the eastern coastal region of Cape York Peninsular, Queensland, Northern Australia.



2. DESCRIPTION of Hoya macgillivrayi

Hoya macgillivrayi, is a strong and fast-growing vine. It is found in nature growing as a true epiphyte; living completely free of the ground - clinging with aerial roots to the bark of host trees while rooting in detritus and leaf litter that has accumulated in the crooks of the branches. Those host trees chosen by this Hoya are usually stunted, growing directly out of the rock face; their smaller and thinner canopies, providing it with the ideal amount of dappled sunlight and air movement it needs for strong growth.

Hoya macgillivrayi, is also seen clinging to and clambering over large rock piles, in areas where it finds similar conditions of sunlight and humidity to those it experiences in the canopies of the trees. The plant roots into whatever leaf litter and moss has collected in the rocks’ crevices. It is usually found growing too high up amongst the rocks for it to be able to root in the ground soil.

Under ideal conditions, growth is extremely fast. The stems produced are thin and wiry at first, with nodes approximately 20cms apart. The foliage that forms at some, but not all of these nodes, is bronze and glossy when developing, maturing to mid-green, and becoming thick and oval in shape, with pointed tips. Mature leaves are approximately 15cms long and 5cms wide.

Flowers are formed on peduncles that are produced on new growth throughout the spring and summer. The mature peduncles are strong and stiff and up to 6cm long. Each flower can be up to 6 cm wide and usually between six and ten are borne in an umbel and radiate out from the peduncle’s tip. Their size and colour varies slightly between the several named clones in cultivation, but in general they are a rich burgundy red in colour, and have a very strong and pleasant fragrance, resembling that of ‘expensive perfume’. They are produced in the autumn.

This link gives some idea of the size of the flowers.
[HYPERLINK@forums.gardenweb.com]


In its natural habit the flowers of Hoya macgillivrayi, are pollinated by several species of birds commonly known as Honeyeaters that belong to the Meliphagidae family.

Hoya macgillivrayi , belongs to Group VI. Physostelma (Wight) Schlechter 1913 which among others includes 3 species that are closely related to H. macgillivrayi :-

H. megalaster
H. onychoides
H. archboldiana

Links to images of flowers:
H. megalaster [HYPERLINK@www.rare-hoyas.com]
H. onychoides [HYPERLINK@www.succulent-plant.com]
H. archboldiana [HYPERLINK@www.rare-hoyas.com]







This message was edited Feb 6, 2006 9:30 AM