Hoya ID help, please. Both tagged. H. fungii

I received both of these plants last year from two different people. Both are tagged as H. fungii, but the striking differences between the two make me believe they have to be completely different. I am just trying to keep the names correct. :o)

This picture shows both plants. The one on the left has the larger leaves with distinct veining, very few silver/white spots and a smooth leaf back, while the one on the right has smaller leaves with many silver/white spots and fuzzy leaf backs.

Neither has bloomed, so that's not an option to help ID. I can take more photos, if needed.

Thanks all!

I vote for the one on the left ;)

LOL Thought you might! ;o) And I agree totally, after doing a bit of research. But I'm still stumped as to what the other one is...

The other one looks like a good old carnosa...

I agree, the one on the left looks like fungii, the one on the right looks like it could be carnosa, maybe one of the clones that has been sold as "motoskei".

My carnosa looks alot like yours. Take a look and see what you think. Sorry you can't see the leaves really well. Let me load this other disk with new pictures and maybe I can show that one.

Here are some of the leaves.

Weighing in late...and I agree with Mark. The one on the right does look like Motoskei... Have you thought to let your gifter know?

Motoskei it is, then! Thank you all so much! Does that mean I can confidently label it as such, or should I note in some way that it is assumed to be such? Maybe it will bloom this summer to help the ID along, but in the meantime...

Also, in doing a bit of reading, several times it was referred to as "the true H. carnosa." I'm showing my ignorance, I guess, but what exactly does that mean?

Thanks again for the help! I repotted most of my Hoyas today and am completely amazed at how much they grew over the winter! ^_^

Edited to add: I had thought of informing the person who sent it to me, but wanted to find out what it was first. Thanks for the reminder, though! ^_^

This message was edited Jun 19, 2008 2:08 PM

AH "The true carnosa" question. I have read it a thousand times and I still don't understand it!!!! Mark...can't you explain it?

IDs are always changing and always in question, so if you label it that and then change it when it blooms if/when you find it is really H. carnosa...you will be in good company!!!!!

LOL Carol

I've read that motoskei is just another version of carnosa, and more similar to the older ones, maybe even the first ones to come into the country. The leaves are more ovate, the flowers more white than pink, and the foliage usually looks darker in the ones I have seen and the one I have. But I also have a cv snowball that the same could be said about. Whatever the story is, it is probably one of the most attractive carnosas.

I agree, Brenda...I love motoskei!!! It grows and blooms its' head off in a dark dryish corner of my garden!!!!

Somewhere along the line there was a mistake made in the labeling or identification of the species we call Hoya carnosa. The plant originally published as Hoya carnosa seems to be the one we have in cultivation labeled Hoya motoskei.
Here is a picture of H. carnosa from Curtis' Botanical Magazine, t. 778.
The one we have labeled (usually) Hoya carnosa is maybe another species? I'm not sure anyone knows for sure what this one is. This is the one whose variegated forms are called 'Krimson Queen' and 'Krimson Princess', and has smaller, more pink flowers than the true H. carnosa, whose flowers are almost an inch across and look white in most light.
The ones called 'Hindu Rope' and 'Krinkle-8' are Hoya compacta, a similar species.
The one I had labeled Hoya 'Snowball' that I posted pictures of a few months back turns out to be Hoya motoskei, not H. 'Snowball' at all (it was mislabeled). I should have listened to Julia, who said that all along.

Regarding my carnosa above, does everyone agree that it is a carnosa?? My sister gave the cutting to me from her plant without a label and I just assumed from my research that's what it was. She didn't seem to know the name at the time.

I would...it sure looks like one...

Here is a pic. of my 25 year old one...

Thank you ThreeGardeners. Yours is very beautiful too. All this business with the carnosa and motoskei confuses me but I may be getting it with some postings like Marks above. The big difference I see between ours and Raingazers is that his leaves are smaller and more oval. Is that what others see too? Is that how you tell the difference? Seems this topic has been covered before but, I just wanted to make sure.

Mark....that is the best explanation I have heard. 'Some people' give the same information but it is 6 paras. long and very confusing!!!!

Elizzy...i think that if the perameters meet what Mark explained...there you have it!! Motoskei = traditionally larger, darker green leaves, more flecks with white, larger flowers. H. carnosa = smaller leaves pink flowers.

I loved this quote from this morning on MSN:

Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.
- Dandemis

Thanks Carol. I appreciate that.
By the way, I wanted to Thank You for the variegated macrophylla you sent me, courtesy of Paula. It has already started growing a new leaf near the bottom. Shows me that it has adjusted well.

Thank you all!
Great information, always learning something here.

Thank you for that great explanation, Mark! I had read a bit about it, but like Carol said, it was too many words to say very little and I didn't get it. LOL Your explanation was perfect!

It seems to be a pretty fast grower. I put it outside last week and I swear it's grown a couple of inches already!