The name “Hoya” honors Thomas Hoy, gardener to the Duke of Northumberland and the first to bring this superb house plant into prominence.

The exact number of species is a mystery. Bailey’s Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture estimates there are 100 species. Listed at the end of the article are over 550 recoginized species. The most common species, and the one most often seen and grown as a houseplant is Hoya carnosa and Hoya carnosa variegata.

Thick leaves of green, rimmed with red and white, and a waxen texture from which it derives the nick-name “wax plant.”

Some consider Hoya blooms among the most exquisite creations of nature, seemingly fashioned from ivory or porcelain, with glimmering centers of ruby and amethyst. The blossom of Hoya carnosa carries a delicate, elusive fragrance which is barely noticeable.

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