12 POPULAR SPECIES OF HOYA PLANT – GROW AND CARE TIPS

Hoya is a huge genus of tropical evergreen succulents belonging to the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. Most of the Hoya plant come from South-East Asia. They are also known as the Porcelain plants or Wax plants due to their thick and shiny foliage.  There are over a hundred species of Hoya, including the most suitable for cultivation and therefore commonly available from vendors. 

Hoya plant, often overlooked, is surprising, mysterious and can offer a spectacular flowering, so it is usually grown as a houseplant on a support or hanging from a suspension. Some grow very fast while others grow very slow.

Indeed, Hoyas are more and more used to beautify our interiors firstly because of their great thick, waxy leaves and their small clusters of star-shaped flowers, secondly, because they are non-toxic for humans and pets and finally because they are so easy to care for. 

In this article, you will find out the most popular Hoyas species with a growing and caring guide. So, let’s go for this amazing adventure! 

Popular Hoya types

There are many wonderful species and varieties of Hoyas. Of course, You will find out here the most popular and the most appreciated species with their description and characteristics. 

1- H. carnosa

Hoya carnosa, commonly known as “wax plant” or honey plant, is the most lively, most popular and most commonly found variety of Hoya. This Hoya succulent native to Australia and Eastern Asia produces long, flexible, branched climbing stems that wrap around a support. This plant typically grown as a houseplant has  glossy, elliptic, fleshy, dark green leaves. 

In addition, Hoya carnosa blooms in summer and autumn in waxy white flowers with a red crown. Also, This easy-to-grow climber with rapid growth has a mild scent, very appreciated by indoor plant growers, especially in the early evening.

2- H. australis

Hoya australis is an evergreen climber native to Australia. It is one of the most common Hoyas used by gardeners. In fact, this waxy leaf plant is so appreciated because of its oval to elliptic, fleshy, dark-green leaves and also for its scented clusters of white, star-shaped flowers. 

Moreover, Hoya australis is one of the easiest to grow and to maintain plants. It is pet friendly, simple but very adorable. 

3- H. bella 

Hoya bella (Hoya lanceolata spp. bella), also named miniature wax flower, is a perennial drooping succulent native to the tropical forest regions of China, Indonesia, India and Australia. It is an absolutely stunning and easy to grow houseplant that requires very little maintenance and grows well in either pots or hanging baskets. This small indoor plant has waxy, dark-green leaves and umbels of 7 to 10 white, star-shaped and very fragrant flowers with a purplish red crown.

4- H. Cinnamomifolia

Hoya Cinnamomifolia is a climbing plant native to Java, an Indonesian island. This Hoya species is difficult to grow and to maintain, that’s why it is rarely known as a houseplant. 

It has large, dark-green leaves with lighter colored veins and also gorgeous umbels of flowers with lime green petals and deep purple crowns. 

Furthermore, there are two varieties of this hoya: Hoya cinnamomifolia var. cinnamomifolia which gets green flowers and Hoya cinnamomifolia var. purpureofusca which gets purple flowers. 

5- H. serpens

Hoya serpens is a perennial succulent vine native to the Himalayas. This Hoya species has lush and abundant foliage with small round and fuzzy leaves that grow rapidly along the extending vines. Fortunately, Hoya serpens are striking houseplants that enhance your interior decor thanks to their climbing shape and their star-shaped fragrant blooms. Moreover, it is very suitable for hanging baskets and also for well-drained pots. 

6- H. Kerrii

Hoya kerrii, named also sweetheart Hoya or Valentine plant, is a succulent climbing vine  native to Southeast Asia. This irresistible plant is usually marketed as a single-rooted fleshy, heart-shaped leaf, without a stem. Although this still Hoya heart is relatively slow-growing. It appreciates a hanging basket, where it eventually becomes a bushy mass of green hearts. Like all Hoyas, clusters of star-shaped flowers, which produce abundant nectar, will eventually emerge along the stems.

7- H. mindorensis

Hoya mindorensis is a vining plant endemic to the Philippines and was first found in Mindoro islands. This fast-growing, and easy to grow succulent has convex, thick, fleshy and dark green leaves. Moreover, small waxy flowers are arranged in umbels and blooms in pink color with white hair and a sweet smell. Hoya mindorensis usually blooms in spring and summer but mature plants can flower year-round if grown in a good light.

8- Hoya linearis

Hoya Linearis is one of the most distinctive Hoya species. This new favourite in the genus originates from the Himalayas and has long, thin leaves like fuzzy green beans. It’s not the easiest plant to care for but if you can give it what it likes, you can win the challenge of keeping it alive. Furthermore, Hoya linearis produces lax umbels of pure-white flowers with a buttery, lemony scent with pink-tinged, yellowish-white coronas. It looks also stunning trailing from a hanging basket almost anywhere in the home.

9- Hoya curtisii

Hoya curtisii is a miniature trailing succulent native to The Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. This is one of the smaller growing Hoyas, so if you have limited space this Hoya can be a great choice. This vine plant has tiny, spade-shaped, olive-green leaves mottled with splashes of silver-blue variegation. Furthermore, the Pink, lime-green flowers are also pretty and smell really nice. Hoya curtisii is a slow grower in the beginning, but when it takes off it gets to be a very full and healthy-looking plant. It is then perfect for use as a ground cover in the pots of larger plants or as a hanging plant. 

10- Hoya imperialis

Hoya imperialis is a vigorous climbing vine that produces some of the largest individual flowers of the Hoya group (7 to 9 cm in diameter). This South-East Asia native (Borneo Island) has green, thick, narrow, oblong leaves as well as reddish-brown to purple-brown flowers with a white crown that blooms from July to September. These huge flowers are also very fragrant. 

11- Hoya multiflora

Hoya multiflora, named also “Shooting star Hoya”, is a flowering, climbing houseplant Native to Malaga. This great Hoya shrub has large, dark green, leathery and waxy leaves. Furthermore, the particularity of this plant is that it produces comet-like clusters of ‘Shooting Star’ flowers (as indicated by its name). The white and yellow, five-petalled flowers are not very fragrant and bloom from early spring to late summer. Shooting Star Hoya plants grow best as a hanging plant in front of a bright sunny window.

12- Hoya obovata

Hoya obovata is a captivating semi-succulent plant found growing in India, Indonesia, Thailand and also Fiji. This great Hoya has incredible dark-green, large-oval, almost-round, lightly speckled leaves and rounded hanging clusters of light to pale pink, star-shaped flowers, centred with contrasting purplish-red. In fact, this drought-tolerant Hoya is a great houseplant recommended for even beginner gardeners.

Hoya’s  Propagation and care tips

The usual method of Hoya’s propagation is undoubtedly through stem cuttings. This can include both water and soil propagation. 

If you choose water propagation, just place the cuttings and put nodes where you removed the leaves underwater. Change the water once a week to keep the water fresh. After that, you can pot them up in the soil. 

For the soil propagation, let the cuttings dry in a cool, dry place away from the sun, then plant them in the soil to the height of a node. 

The care for most Hoyas is very similar. So, here are some tips for successful Hoyas gardening: 

What is your favourite variety of Hoya? Let us know in the comments and share this page with other Hoya lovers!