I got this one from a succulent grower who didn't know the name. He may have grown it from seed. It has shiny leaves with a reddish cast, the largest about 4 inches long. The flowers are cream colored with a sweet fragrance. Any ID suggestions would be helpful.
Susan in Minneapolis
Another picture.
And the flower.
Beautiful leaves ! I love the reddish tinge they get from sunlight.
Looks to me like H. pottsii, but lets see what others say...
Paula
I don't know hoyas well at all but whichever one it is, it sure is pretty - both foliage and bloom!
Paula,
I definitely looks like H. pottsii to me, when I looked that one up. Thanks for your help.
Susan
I say H. nicholsoniae, which is very similar to H. pottsii, except for the leaf venation. Pretty leaves.
I am baffled by that whole group....but Mark should be along soon... He has done a lot of work on the pottsii/acuta groups.
C
Eh? What did I tell you?
This message was edited Jun 2, 2008 1:59 PM
this plant doesn't look like what I have labeled as nicholsoniae- for one, this plant is much prettier...and mine is most likely mislabeled, it came from a questionable source
You know, we ALL make mistakes/wrong assumptions/misspellings.....BUT....I am simply amazed by the blatant errors made by some nurseries and growers. And NOT just with hoyas. I get emails frequently by people who have bought cuttings stuck in dirt as 8$ PLANTS, plants mislabeled etc. and they are trying to make everything all correct!!!! My most recent bought from Violets' Barn....YEEECH!!!!
Christine...H. merrilliis' leaves are more 'heart' shaped with rounder 'lobes' on the leaves and the flowers are not as many on the umbel....but many rachis on the stem....good guess tho.
Ceedub.....here is a picture of my merrillii. I really like it........wished it bloomed more often.
Thanks Ric, yes, I see the differences clearly. So, back to nicholsonae then, here's a picture of mine's only flowering from last summer. Aside from the flowers recurving, and the possibility that mine is not correctly identified, I'm not convinced that Susan's is the same. My leaves were the same, but there's something wrong with it now and the leaves are very pale. I'm trying to water it less and give it more sun, to see if that makes a difference.
C.
Christine....the color of the flowers is really hard to go by as it changes a LOT sometimes on the same plant from one bloom to another!!! I have the WORST time growing H. pottsii or any of that batch...they just NEVER flower for me but they grow like weeds!!! Who has luck flowering them...? Any hints?
Carol,
I had my first blooms on the pottsii nichelsoniae a few weeks ago. It was growing like a weed, I moved under a tree and forgot about it .....it didn't get water for a few weeks....and blooms came. It was like the plant's way of saying HEY look at me.
That's my problem...I put them outdoors and it rains every day!!!!! Beautiful, Ric!!!
Wow Ric, that's a gorgeous picture; those blooms are so vibrant!
They don't look the same as Susan's flowers at all.
Mine is just plain sick with "failure to thrive syndrome" (and possibly not even H.nicholsonae), and I'm getting a replacement soon to see if that one will grow better for me.
C.
Pottsii (from Thailand, Vietnam, S. China (?)) is an easy bloomer. Nicholsoniae, from tropical Australia (and New Guinea?) is supposed to be a reluctant bloomer.
Ric, you may be on to something. Doesn't tropical Australia have distinct wet/dry seasons? Maybe with-holding water for a while can trick the plant into thinking it's the right season to bloom.
Ceedub.....not sure what to tell you. Sometimes the flower color varies and so do photographs. My picture looks more of a vibrant yellow/green, it could be the dark background.
Interesting point there Mark.
Really good point Mark.... When is their 'wet' season? Winter (cool) or Summer (warmer). I think I shall try it!!!!
You are right....that white H. pottsii from Vietnam is a MAD bloomer and it smells SO good! Likes to be dryish, tho'.
Carol
