hoya polyneura

Okay so I have something weird going on with this hoya. Here's what's happening. Yesterday I took the plant down from it's hanger to water it and rotate the basket. Upon doing so I noticed on one branch in the central part of the plant that there was a broken leaf on one stem. nothing unusual as I tend t break a few leaves every now and again one way or another.

The weird thing about this leaf though is that it is split width wise from one side to the other with the central nerve being completely severed and you can see all the way through the opening. What I found odd about it is the fact that it has produced roots on both sides of the leaf and the entire leaf is still green and healthy.

Has anyone else ever had this happen and what might the chances be of this leaf producing a new plant if I were to remove it and pot it up???

This message was edited Mar 30, 2008 8:47 PM

heres a second shot with a frontal view of the leaf

David, that is really neat. I have never had anything like that happen, but we don't have any humidity at all - single digits at best.

I would imagine that the roots are present due to your high humidity and warm temps, and really makes me wonder about the theory that hoyas won't start from leaf cuttings. Hmmm, I think that you should plant that leaf, and see what happens.

I think that is a good testament to the happy, healthy environment that you are providing your plants with.

S

Sara, I actually had healthy leaves to get broken off of a plant and fall on the floor of the gh and take root and develop a very healthy root system. Only problem is that i've never left any of them there long enough to see if they would produce a vine or not. This is the first time I have ever seen one do this though. so it'll be very interesting to see what happens.

david

David,

I would be very surprised if that leaf would not eventually produce a vine if potted. When Begonias were my passion, I started dozens of plants from leaf cuts like that put in potting mix, kept warm and humid with each vein producing a new plant. I bet that any Hoya that has strong veination would produce a plantlet from one of those veins if potted up.

Doug

My experience is that some leaves will and some won't....form vines, that is. I have had them build incredible root systems with nary a sprout. It depends so much on the meristem in the leaf and how much is left.

Carol

Doug, when my grandma used to grow begonias she would always have a tray of leaves sitting around rooting to make new plants! So i'm gonna give it a try and see what happens,I mean I don't have anything to loose by trying so i'm going to separate the leaf from the plant today and pot it up.

Carol it's a complete leaf nothing is missing it has just been snapped in half widthwise somehow. It's gonna be interesting to see if Doug's theory about begonias applies to hoyas as well. Time will tell and i'll keep updating this thread as this experiment progresses to keep everyone informed on whats going on.

David, that will be a fun experiment, and I for one am very interested in it. Keep us updated on progress.

Doug

That is so cool David! Can't wait to see the end results- Very interesting! But I have to agree, just shows how great of a job you're doing with your growing environment. Keep us posted!

David, Wow ... That is really cool. It will be very interesting to see what happens. I tooI would pot it up and see how it grows. I know folks who grow Streptocarpus from splitting a leaf down the mid rib and sticking each slice into perlite or a mix of soil and perlite to grow new plants. Doesn't take very long at all for little "ears" to pop above the soil from the mom leaf. I hope you will keep us updated on what happens with that one!