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Origin and Habitat: Hoya kenejianaSN|30641]]SN|30641]] is a tropical waxflower vine native to Papua New Guinea, where it has been collected in the year 1908 by the German botanist Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter (1872-1925).
Type locality Kenejia, NE New Guinea, on October 1908. Elevation 150m.
Habitat: Hoya kenejianaSN|30641]]SN|30641]] grows as a twig epiphyte in the canopy of lowland vineforest on volcanic soil together with Madangia inflata, ferns and orchids.
Synonyms:
- Hoya kenejiana Schltr.
ENGLISH: Hoya, Wax Plant, Porcelain Flower
Description: Hoya kenejiana is a woody epiphyte that climbs well and can reach a length up to 12 meters in its tropical habitat. It is a loosely leaved species with relatively large, glossy leaves. The light buttery yellow flowers are quite beautiful, but not fragrant, and create a stark contrast to the foliage. Both the corolla and corona are yellow. It is a very clean and delicate plant and not very common in cultivation.
Derivation of specific name: Rudolf Schlechter named the beautiful, yelllow Hoya kenejianaSN|30641]]SN|30641]], in the year 1913 after the place where it was found, Kenejia, in the North-East of Papua New Guinea.
Leaves: Spreading or outspread, petioled, narrowly oblong, round, somewhat obtuse, base rounded, both sides glabrous, apices obtuse, bases rounded, fleshy. Petiole short, lightly grooved above.
Inflorescences: Umbels with 15-25 single flowers, upright, convex.
Flowers: Corolla about 1,5-2 cm in diameter, brownish white, buttery yellow or golden yellow sometimes with a touch of pink tones, margins densely papillose-hairy. Corona creamy white or yellowish.
Blooming season: This hoya can bloom at a young age mostly in spring and summer. However it is a non stop bloomer in suitable climates. When it blooms it does so on many umbels and lasts for 16 or more days.
Bibliography: Major references and further lectueres
1) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11 August 2011
2) The Hoyan 7(4): 86 1986 (with illustration)
3) Kloppenburg, “The Hoya handbook”, pl. 2 1992.
4) Dale Kloppenburg & Dr. Monina Siar “Hoya Foliage: A Pictorial guide Foliage of Hoya” Dale Kloppenburg Fresno, California
Hoya kenejiana Photo by: Luiza Ferreira
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Cultivation and Propagation: Hoya kenejiana is an easy robust grower and yellow bloomer that flowers prolifically once established. It is considered as easy to care and is suitable for Hoya beginners. It is a Papua New Guinea native that once again will do much better with some extra warmth and humidity. When in bloom it is a very interesting plant. Extremely floriferous. Hoyas like to grow in small pots with a trellis or hanging baskets.
Growth rate: This is a clinging that grows really well and strong in optimal condition.
Potting medium: Because it is an epiphyte benefits from being potted up in a very well-draining and porous potting medium that allows some air to get to the roots; typical mixes include, peat, with some fibrous soil and sand along with large-grade drainage material such as perlite, pumice, or ceramic balls. Often specialized hoya growers either use only chopped coconut husk or a good orchid potting mixture for growing their hoya plants. The medium needs to be moisture-retentive.
Fertilization: The plants should be fed regularly with a fertilizer suitable for epiphytic plants.
Watering: With its succulent qualities it's quite adapt at storing water for longish periods of time between waterings. Water regularly in summer, but do not overwater ( wet-sensitively) and let the plants to dry out between watering and then water again. Its roots are easily lost in pots that stay damp for any length of time. Keep quite dry with ample airflow in winter (It would probably tolerate one watering a month). In the rest period no high atmospheric humidity. Care must be taken with watering as they tends to become swollen and untidy in growth habit if given too much water and shade.
Fertilization: During the growing season enrich the soil using a fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorous, but poor in nitrogen, because this chemical element doesn’t help the development of succulent plants, making them too soft and full of water.
Exposition: This hoya species prefers bright light but no direct sun. Outside half shade to shade (filtered sunlight or afternoon shade tolerated), inside it will need a reasonably light room in order to actually grow, although it will still get by even in a shadier spot and can be positioned almost anywhere in homes or offices. It subject to sunburn if exposed to direct sun for too long. Tends to bronze in strong light, which encourages flowering and heavy leaves production.
Temperature: The optimal temperature is approximately 12-15° C in winter and 30-40 ° C in Summer (Outdoor zone: At least Zone 10, possibly cooler).
Spring: When winter ends and they begin to grow again, they will require much water and soaking the pots will no longer put the plants at risk for rot. In the spring they will grow well in partial shade and leaving them out in the rain may provide them with the water they need.
Summer: In the summer months they will tolerate heavy rain, but will be just as happy if the season is dry. They will tolerate hot weather outdoors as long as they are kept in strongly filtered light and this will encourage them to flower. They also enjoy some fertiliser. Moving the plants as they are developing buds may cause them to spontaneously abort the flowers all together.
Autumn: In the fall keep them outdoors until the night time temperatures drop below the 10°C.
Winter: Winter care presents no problems at 12° C with plenty of light. In winter be sure to take extra precautions to keep them dry, because damp cool conditions when the plants are resting is an invitation to fungal infections, but - according to temperatures –some occasional lit watering may be useful.
Maintenance: Prune the plant lightly to keep it tidy.
Repotting: In any season it's best to lay the stems out for several days before replanting them and then pot them only in dry soil and withhold any water until they begin to shrivel or start growing again. Re-pot every 2 years.
Pest and diseases: Hoyas are generally fairly easy to grow, especially if kept pest-free. They are very susceptible to stem and root mealy bug, which can be fought easily with common pesticides, and damage from these may well initiate fungal attack. Any time when there is a dead or dying stem in the pot it is important to remove it immediately and completely before other healthy stems can become ill too, isolate the healthy parts, dry them off, and re-root them in new compost.
Propagation: This species propagates readily from stem cuttings, whether in water, in soil or in a sterile medium (such as perlite).
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