Porcelain Flower

Family

Apocynaceae

Origin

Thailand

Description

Hoya carnosa - wax plant - grows with long, slender vines which are covered with thick, green leathery leaves. The leaves are sometimes flecked with silvery or creamy white. The wax plant will produce parachute clusters of star-shaped, flowers with five-point centers, very variable in colour. The flowers are so intricately detailed, uniformly shaped and shiny and therefore also called porcelain flower.

Hoya Carnosa  Red is a beautiful wax plant with thick, pointy-leaves which vary from deep green to brownish red in colour when sun-stressed.It gets its name from the clusters of star-shaped, stunningly deep red flowers it can produce when blooming, the fragrance is very heady and fills the house with a sweet, lovely fragrance. 

Environment

Easy to grow & don't require much attention. Hoya do best in filtered light or with lots of artificial light in indoors.

Hoya plants don't ask for much, beyond the well-draining soil and the warm humid conditions (similar to bromeliads and orchids)

They are epyphite, can be grown in orchid medium or light potting mix with lots of bark conditioner. Hoya like the security of a snug pot, and plants that are a bit root bound will flower more prolifically than those that are swimming around in a giant pot.

This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds .

Landscape Use

It makes a nice hanging basket, but also does really well as a mounted plant