I'm new here and a little intimidated--everyone seems to know so much...on the other hand everyone seems really nice too, so I'll just jump in with my question...I recently got a hoya obovata that looks very typical--thick light green leaves with an occasional silver speckle...then I ordered a second one from eBay that looked a little different...It just arrived and really is quite different---the leaves are extremely heavily splashed and marked with silver; in fact it almost looks like a hoya "silver pink" with very thick almost perfectly round leaves....the invoice lists it as hoya obovata Decaisne....is this a sub-species, or a cultivar, or just a variant? Has anyone ever heard of this? Thanks for any info...
Shelley
new here; question about hoya obovata
It's possible that the one you just received from Ebay was grown in a lot brighter light. I had mine growing under a fluorescent light and I noticed the leaves near the bottom were lighter green and not as heavily splashed as the ones higher up nearer to the light. I've never heard of an Obovata Decaisne though. Sounds interesting. I don't think even my most heavily splashed leaves resemble a 'silver pink'. Could you post a picture?
Jen
Hey Jen---we're practically neighbors! Thanks for the fast reply....I hope you're wrong about bright light, because that means I might lose the silvering and I really really like it.... The mostly green one came from Bob Smoley (and I also will never order from him again, but that's another story) and the second one came from a grower in Tempe Arizona, where I imagine the sun would be brighter than in Smoley's Florida greenhouse....I don't have a digital camera yet, but if you're really interested the seller is posting another one on eBay right now, with a photo, ---it's on the first page, a little more than halfway down....
Shelley
Hi Shelley!
Welcome!
Sounds as though you know quite a bit yourself.
Well, I took the easy route and googled it.
According to the hits that came up....this is a valid name for a H. obovata clone.
Sounds lovely....I'd love to see a photo, too.
http://www.myhoyas.com/Hoya%20obovata.htm
The 'Descaine' after the species name is the name of the person who Published H. obovata........it is not always written in when discussing casually as we do....but it is, in reality the proper part of the name for that species....
Carol
Welcome, Shelley! Glad you joined us - everyone is very helpful and nice - but be careful - this is truly an addiction!! LOL
Karen
Hey Shelley. I didn't even notice that you were in Pittsburgh when I replied! How cool. I probably am wrong about the lighting. It was just an observation about my own plant. Yours sounds really pretty. I won't allow myself to go ANYWHERE near Ebay the rest of this year.....or next. I think I filled my hoya quota for at LEAST 3 years just this past summer lol. My husband already said I'm outta room. (what does he know???) Anyway, welcome to the forum!
Jen
Thanks guys! How dumb of me not to have googled it myself...dang...anyhow, I guess the really silvery one is a specific clone...I love it...
As for Bob Smoley...many years ago when he was located in Pittsburgh I actually visited his greenhouses as a guest of the Pgh. Cactus and Succulent Society...he seemed like a nice guy, and although his greenhouses were INCREDIBLY poorly organized he had a lot of nice stuff...when I just recently got back into hoyas, and before I knew about his reputation, I ordered from him....I ordered in late June, thinking I'd have most of the summer to acclimate the plants on my deck...Ha!...not a word from him until the plants finally arrived in mid-September, just as I was moving my plants back into the house....I had asked for only rooted plants, and what I got were barely rooted cuttings...I did give him permission to substitute (what an idiot I was), so of course the one plant I really really wanted (and the reason for the order in the first place) hoya subcalva, was "out of stock" and he substituted a bunch of very common hoyas, almost all of which I already had---there was lacunosa, compacta, cummingiana, and the plain green obovata...some of the plants looked "okay" and some of them were in fairly poor wilty condition...anyhow---although I'm sure Mr. Smoley is a very nice man-- never again...well, maybe if he announces he's hired a huge staff to do nothing but handle orders....
Shelley
Carol wrote: "The 'Descaine' after the species name is the name of the person who Published H. obovata........it is not always written in when discussing casually as we do....but it is, in reality the proper part of the name for that species...."
I knew you would know the 'story', Carol!!
So what about the speckling/mottling on this one....is it just a result of light received as Jen suggested? Or is this one a specific clone? (Sorry I was 'assuming'.)
Probably just a sport...another clone...speckling may or may NOT hold. I have some on the very speckled H. lacunosa that are coming out all green!!!!
I am Back and getting into the groove...haven't even been to the green house yet!!!
Carol
h. obovata is a favorite. I have obovata with no speckling, some speckling and heavy speckling. The heavy speckling kind is pretty neat.
Oh Carol how fun!
Glad your back!!!
Hope you enjoyed your vacation and rested up!
Bet you have some surprises in there (GH)!
Teresa