I thought I would start a new thread to post my photo of IML 1428
H. erythrostemma and hoya flower colors
....and a photo of that same plant...same clone...I just received from David Liddle. So this is where I go crazy 1) trying to deal with my own hoyas not matching descriptions and, 2) reading descriptions of hoyas as 'this' or 'that' using the flower color as a descriptor....
Anyone else have some comparisons to share?
This message was edited Aug 7, 2007 4:57 PM
It is so beautiful!!! – I’m sitting here drooling over my keyboard.
Congratulations Carol.
Lourdes =)
Carol, a mutual friend of ours, in a discussion of an entirely different plant, suggested the possibility of the level of acidity in the soil having impact on bloom colors. Do you suppose this might be the case with this one as well, or is this simply a case of you receiving a mislabeled plant from your supplier?
Ann
Well, I guess color in descriptions should just be a guideline? I think the coloration in your H. mindorensis is much more attractive than plain white, so I'd say you lucked out!
Now Ann, that is interesting. My plant is watered by rain water which (even in Hawaii with our volcanos) tests pH neutral. I use MSU fert which is fairly neutral. David, in Australia waters with well water (sweet water, high in calcium and he adjusts the soil to a tad above pH neutral). My take on it is that it is a combination of factors: temps (perhaps mine will bloom differently in the winter with higher temperature fluctuations), potting medium...age(?) of plant (just occured to me).
Another factor here is that David refers to this plant as 'white as white can be'. It, to me, is NOT white at all....his, to me, is a pale soft pink.
What goes thru my mind is: when the original collectors collected the plants and wrote their descriptions, was their 'white' as off as this? Is 'their' interpretation of color, size, shape etc. as subjective as it seems todays plants exhibit? AND - with all of the 'ifs', 'what ifs' and subjectivity here...how can 'one' publish a new hoya based on the fact that the corona lobes are 1.5mm longer than the original description.
Hmmmmmm?
Lots of questions...no answers.
Also, I could swear I read somewhere, that there is no actual white bloom - instead most blooms that appear white actually have a very light color to them that is not very discernible to the naked eye. If this is true (I could have dreamed this, by the way), then there is no actual white-colored blooms. If this is the case, then all of those things you mentioned could impact the vibrancy of the colors in your blooms, although I am not sure how we get from all white to vibrant red coronas. (I hope this made some modicum of sense - if not please forgive my blathering jabberwocky)
Ann
that's pretty carol. looks like a snowball.
Gorgeous bloom and pictures Carol. It would look awesome in a book. :O)
Patti
Beautiful bloom, Carol.
And this morning I read that the color of blooms is greatly affected by temperature and the temperature gradients between night and day.
I just find all of this really interesting!!!