Ok I am so confused myself now. I went to the EA website to see what photo they have for the Hoya Sulawessi, and the pic is of the plant I did get from Lowes. However every photo I have seen of Hoya Bella isn't what I have. I am not a hoya expert so please don't bash me, lol. I just want to be correctly informed. I did notice it had Hoya sp. Sulawessii. Does the sp make it different?
Oops I meant to add link to photo.
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=125
This message was edited Aug 15, 2006 8:39 AM
New addition...Hoya? Dischidia? Neither?
Thanks, Denise....I'm anxious, too, to see what you find out.
Please do let us know, and TIA!
I'm assuming the Dr. will dissect blooms?
edenawaitsme....don't worry about 'bashing', here!
Seems that we all have problems with the EA plants' IDs.
I have that plant, too, and I know others do as well.....I think it was decided that one is H. brevialata.....someone correct me if I"m wrong.
Thanks Nan. Makes me feel so much better. I am just on a quest for knowledge :).
Yes, it seems EA wants to call all the hoyas "bella" something or another. That plant is one everyone used to call H. incurvula, then it was determined that it is really H. brevialata.
Marcy
Just wanted to let everyone know that I heard back from Dr. Livshultz with her opinion regarding the mystery Dischidia. First, here is how I stated my question to her:
When I contacted you before, I sent you a couple of pics to get your help figuring out what Dischidias I had (at the suggestion of Yale Sedman...) There's been a debate on a site called Dave's Garden about the ID of one of them. You thought that the two I sent - one was variegated and one not - were both nummularia. I'd gotten the variegated one as nummularia variegata, but the green one was a Home Depot plant that had no tag. Your opinion was that it was also nummularia, and you said that nummularia is a very variable species.
Well, someone contacted Ted Green. He thought this plant was likely formosana. He said that nummularia leaves are smaller and much more succulent, almost like a pea. The leaves on my Dischidia are flat-ish, but not thin. Almost completely round, about 1/2" in diameter. It did flower for me since I contacted you, and to me, the flowers look pretty much the same as D. ruscifolia. Can I get your opinion about the difference between nummularia and formosana, and do you still feel this is more likely nummularia? I realize a photo can be very deceiving, and I'm hoping I've added something to my description here that might help.
And here is Dr. Livshultz's response:
The plant in your picture and in your description is definitely Dischidia nummularia and not Dischidia formosana. Dischidia formosana has obcordate leaves (the leaf apex is retuse and the leaf is heart-shaped), also the flowers of D. formosana are quite a bit longer than those of D. nummularia (and D.ruscifolia) ca. 5-6 mm vs. ca. 3 mm. Furthermore D. nummularia develops minute wax "chimneys" particularly on the abaxial (under) side of older leaves, especially when grown under drier conditions; D. formosana has no such "chimneys". These chimneys look like little white dots with the naked eye. There are other differences in flower structure as well, but that would require a microscope.
I don't see any "chimneys" on my plant's older leaves, but I do grow my Dischidias less dry and more moist. I noticed the doc grows most of her's on totems or bark, so I'm sure those DO grow drier than mine, which are in soil. But I'm convinced that it's nummularia myself... **Sigh** It's always such a challenge to get plants ID'd!
Denise in Omaha
Wow, Denise....even though this is Lorry's thread and not mine....I have to thank you for your efforts in the quest for this ID.
Dischidias are among my favorites, I've been acquiring a few in the past couple of years, and I'm always yearning to find more information on them (which as you know, is difficult to come by!)
I *have* seen those alledged (LOL!) 'Chimneys' on my var. nummularia.....but haven't paid attention to my NOID.....I will have to check that out.
Thanks for my 'lesson of the day'!!
Lorry; I will always bow to Dr. Livshultz's determinations and I know Ted will also. He works very closely with her on Dischidia identifications. I only sent your photo to him, so he was only going on the looks of the leaves. I still have my doubts that it is D. nummularia but I'm also going on the looks of the leaves which I know from studying hoyas is almost an impossibility. Ted did say that his D. formosana had longer thinner leaves. I haven't dissected the flowers on this thing and probably won't. For one thing I don't know that much about Dischidia and another is that the flowers are too tiny for my shaky hands to work with.
Annie W.
I *thought* about dissecting a flower of each.....but then I thought better of it.
First of all....I've no microscope (LOL!) and most important.....they're far too small for my hands, too, Ann!
Seems that epiphytic plants, in particular, tend to have quite variable growth....(though the growths of these two plants are definitely stretching the word variable! There are similarities....but the leaves are most definitely different in size/width/girth, etc... without a doubt!)...as is evident in many Rhipsalis and Epiphyllums, as well...totally unrelated to Hoyas and Dischidias, I know...but an interesting comparison in variable growth.
Hey guys
I did get a variegated nummularia from EA yesterday (I will take a picture today if I get a chance) They called it pebble beach nummularia but I think this one is labeled correctly..go figure!
Though the leaves are smaller and more succulent like Ted said :)
I guess I don't need to (laugh) someone already posted a picture of one just like it!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/569499/