Hoya carnosa - Meet the Plants - National Tropical Botanical Garden Plant Database

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Taxonomy:

Hoya carnosa (L. f.) R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae)

Alternative Botanical Name:
Asclepias carnosa

Common Names:
wax plant
wax flower
porcelain flower

Classification:

Hoya carnosa (L. f.) R. Br.
Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida-Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Gentianales
Family: Asclepiadaceae - Milkweed family
Genus: Hoya R. Br. - Hoya
Species: Hoya carnosa (L. f.) R. Br. - Porcelain Flower
(National Plant Database. 2004.)

Description:

Hoya are tropical or sub-tropical shrubs, vines or woody lianas that can grow quite large. Hoya can be either terrestrial or epiphytic.

This species is an evergreen vine or liana with thick, fleshy, two to four-inch-long, green or variegated leaves. It produces large round, hanging clusters of creamy white to light pink, 0.5-inch diameter, fragrant flowers, each with a perfect five-pointed pink star-like structure in the center. The flowers are waxy and last a long time. Bloom fragrance is subtle and you must come close to the plant to enjoy it, but it is well worth the effort. These long-lasting, showy blooms emerge on old flower stalks, which should never be pruned off, as they will bloom again later.
(Bailey, L.H. Hortorum staff. 1976. Hortus Third.)

Geographic Distribution:

Hoya carnosa is one of about 100 species of Hoya that are native to India, Australia, Borneo, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, and Thailand.

(Bailey, L.H. Hortorum staff. 1976. Hortus Third.)

Native Legends and Names:

The common houseplant Hoya carnosa was named for Thomas Hoy, gardener to the Duke of Northumberland at the end of the 18th century.

Hoya is called wax plant because of the fleshy, thick leaves and waxy flowers.
(Bailey, L.H. Hortorum staff. 1976. Hortus Third.)

Indigenous Practices:

The plant is most attractive in hanging baskets which display the trailing habit of the vines and the attractive flowers which appear periodically on older plants.

(Bailey, L.H. Hortorum staff. 1976. Hortus Third.)

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