An unnamed Hoya with succulent leaves

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Hoyas have often been considered as succulent plants, but in reality, only very few species bear leaves that are thick enough for them to be considered 'succulents'. Examples include Hoya australis subsp. oramicola, H. australis subsp. rupicola, H. australis subsp. saniae, H. kerrii, and H. pachyclada. But there is one other very succulent Hoya that is very little known because, well, it is almost unknown in cultivation as it is a still undescribed and unnamed species.

In February 2010 I was given a small cutting of a curious succulent plant that is said to have come from an island north of Palawan. The plant is obviously a Hoya, with leaves splashed with paler green blotches which prompted me to suspect that it could be H. memoria, albeit with very thick and more obovate leaves. Compared to that species, the veining is much more obscure and the new growths are not reddish. The cutting took some time to produce ample roots, but when it did, it grew so well that not long after, it produced its first peduncle. When the flowers appeared, it became instantly apparent that what I have is definitely not H. memoria, but something else. The blooms remind me somewhat of H. crassicaulis' and presumed that it could be a closely related taxon. The dusky flowers last for about three days with a very noticeable, sweet scent. Nanding Aurigue suggested that this could be H. juannguoana, but the corona lobes of that species are more blunt and the corollas much more reflexing. More tellingly, the leaves of H. juannguoana are much like H. crassicaulis'. Hoya juannguoana has been recorded from the Palawan mainland, at St. Paul's Underground River, whereas the plant at hand is an insular species, as far as I know. For comparison, click here: http://131.230.176.4/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=Hoya_juannguoana&rank=binomial

As mentioned above, the leaves of my plant are very thick, and are the fleshiest I know among all Philippine species. When well-grown, a leaf can thicken to 6 mm. Under optimal conditions, the foliage can be glossy dark green with contrasting speckles, but the color can wash out when placed under brighter light. In keeping up with the succulent nature of the leaves, the plant can withstand periods of dryness during which the leaves take on a paler and quite wrinkled look, although prolonged periods can result in the plant shedding some of its leaves.


This plant appears to be a strong feeder, and should be fertilized appropriately and often. Still, its growth is not as rampant as many of the other vining types, although new stems can reach out far and wide, then produce new leaves. The stems are pliant, and one can wind these back to its trellis or hanging pot with little effort. However, that is quite an ambiguous statement as I do not know of anyone else other than myself who has this species; the person who gave the cutting to me does not grow hoyas. If there is anyone else out there who grows this plant, I would be happy to trade a rooted cutting so I can have another clone. But as of this writing, my mom plant is but a Lonesome George.

In common with the mother plant, the cuttings took a very long time to root and start producing new leaves. The cuttings were taken last November, but only started doing something interesting late last month.

Two of the nine rooted cuttings that I have. Young leaves are really quite glossy and thicken out with age.



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