Somewhere in my jurassic brain (where all plant information is kept) I remember a discussion somewhere that H. merrillii is really something else. Is it H. NH-1? TIA for your help. Carol
H. merrillii is really.....?
I don't recall reading that Carol. As far as I know, H. merrillii is still the correct name. Then again, just when you think it is safe to write a label in ink, it can change. Do you remember where you read it?
I read somewhere (you know I'm 55 now, so I don't remember), but I thought it said Merrill is Quinquenervia.??????????????
Blessings,
Awanda
NOW I remember....actually I was reading some old lists....it is still called H. sp. CMF-4
SO...what is NH-1?
I don't know what NH-1 is, but when you find out, please let us know:-).
Blessings,
Awanda
Mel...what is NH-1? and if you can't remember, could you ask Chris what H. sp. NH-1 is////please?
Carol
Carol, here is Chris Burtons answer to your question.
The history of NH-1:
First listed in 1977 by Ted Green MISLABELED as Hoya chlorantha. He described
it as being the largest hoya plant he had ever seen. He found it completely
covering a large tree in what was then New Hebrides (now Vanuatu). I gave it
the label of NH-1 because it was the first hoya I'd seen from New Hebrides and I
knew it could not be Hoya chlorantha.
I had a picture that I'd found at NY Botanical Garden of Rechinger's type
specimen and also a copy of Rechinger's type publication. When my plant
bloomed shortly after I got it from Ted Green and I saw its 1 cm. flowers that
the flowers alone would prove it not to be Hoya chlorantha. Of course, the
foliage on Rechinger's type (of which there was also a published picture) was
nothing at all like this plant. So I labeled it NH-1.
I sent a letter to Ted Green, a fellow I didn't know from Adam at that time. I
sent him copies of the pictures I had and of the name publication. I told him,
very politely that I was sure he was mistaken about the identity of this
species.
He replied (I still have his letter) and he said, "Yeah, I caught that too but I
had to call it something."
I then wrote to him and asked him, "If you call this Hoya chlorantha what are
you going to call the real Hoya chlorantha when you find it?" He didn't reply
to that. When he did find a real Hoya chlorantha, he called it for the first
three or four years, Hoya filiformis.
Hoya chlorantha's flowers are about 1 and 1/4 inches in diameter. The flowers
of Hoya filiformis are about 3 mm. in diameter (the smallest flowers I have ever
seen). The flowers of NH-1 are about 1 cm. in diameter.
Now, after more than 25 years, old St. Teddy is selling NH-1 under the misnomer
of Hoya diptera. It differs from Hoya diptera in having much larger and thicker
leaves. Thse leaves have no visible veins, while those of Hoya diptera's
smaller, thinner leaves are visibly veined. Flowers of Hoya diptera are larger
and all known clones of it are yellow, with a red circle in the center of the
white corona. NH-1 flowers are completely white, somewhat smaller than those of
H. diptera. The petioles of one (can't remember which off hand) are channeled
on top while those of the other are completely round.
Re CMF-4 --- CMF stands for Charles Marden Fitch. He is the famous flower
photographer. He gave all of the hoyas he collected to me. He did NOT have a
hoya numbered 4. He had two labeled by name, one being Hoya acuta and one being
Hoya obscura. He had one labled CMF-8 and one labeled CMF-9.
I will write more in a separate letter about Hoya merrillii and Hoya
quinquenervia.
What puzzles me is how anyone could confuse NH-1 with anything from a place so
many miles (thousands?) away!
Mel: thank you so much! Her knowledge is awesome!! Hope you will share the next letter with us, too.
Carol