Hoya verticillata flowering after... 8 years

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About three weeks ago I noticed a cluster of flowers in the rafters of one of my shading nets. I knew it was a Hoya, but could not identify what it was, until the individual flowers dropped off shortly thereafter. And then today while looking at my tillandsias I noticed the same cluster, this time from a peduncle that grew lower down and hence easier to reach. It was most definitely a Hoya verticillata, and when I traced the stem to the pot, I learned that, from what the tag said, it was from an acquisition in 2011, back when I still would not even attempt to know what it was, because many species of Hoya are notorious for sharing practically the same foliage. I thought it was a Hoya mindorensis back then.




Now, I know that this species is one of the most common in cultivation but two things should be mentioned here. The first is that despite being a species that is widespread in tropical Asia, it wasn't known to occur in the Philippines until botanist Danilo Tandang found a flowering example in Puerto Princesa, Palawan on June 15, 2017. My plant came from Samar in the Visayas, and so this should be the first time that H. verticillata is known outside Palawan, as far as the Philippine population is concerned. Had I found this plant in bloom in 2011, then that would've been the first instance of this species being detected here.

Secondly, eight years is a very long time for a Hoya to bloom, especially when it's still in the same climate it got used to. Particularly for something as common as this species, it's just mind-stretching. But this brings forward one of those facets of hoyas that sometimes annoy collectors: some species are extremely reluctant to bloom, with bud development commencing almost as soon as you forgot that you had the plant in the first place. Or, like in my case, more than 5 years or more since I forgot about it.

So if you have a finicky Hoya, don't despair! You might find it finally flowering one of these days. Or years.


Hoya verticillata. A lesson in patience.

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