Hoya Carnosa

The Hoya Carnosa is a beautiful houseplant native to Eastern Asia and Australia. In its natural habitat, it climbs trees and can reach up to 60 feet tall; indoors it will trail up to 4-5 feet in the right conditions. This makes it perfect for hanging baskets or as a vining plant. It is considered a partial succulent and has smooth, grey, bare long climbing shoots. Off of these shoots sprout the almond shaped leaves. The leaves are thick, waxy and glossy with occasional flecks of white. The flowers are part of an umbel (short flower stalks that spread from one point like an umbrella) and are star shaped. The colors range from white to light pink to dark pink and are fuzzy. The blooms are heavily scented and different varieties have different scents.

AKA: Wax Plant, Porcelain Flower, Wax Flower

Light: Tolerates low to medium light; thrives and blooms in bright indirect. Some direct morning sun is good.

Watering: Allow at least the top 1/2 of the soil to dry before watering. Less water is better than more for a Hoya as they are sensitive to root rot. Water slowly and evenly until water comes out of the drainage hole; discard excess.

Humidity: Average to high humidity.

Toxicity: Mildly toxic to cats, dogs and people.

Potting Mix: Well draining, rich all purpose mix.

Additional Care: Hoya prefer to be root bound and will not flower unless they are. They need good drainage. Regularly dust leaves to help with photosynthesis.