Hoya blashernaezii Photo by: Luiza Ferreira
Origin and Habitat: Hoya blashernaezii is another Hoya that originates from The Philippines.
Synonyms:
See all synonyms of Hoya blashernaezii
Description: Hoya blashernaezii is a tropical, climbing plant with relatively sparce vines that bear attractive foliage and interesting campanulate or cupped yellow blooms, but the scent is very weak, almost not perceptible, if any. The peduncles are long and thin and the drooping flowers can be hard to see in detail unless you are looking from below. Three subspecies are recognized, the nominate form, subsp. subs. siariae (Kloppenb.) Kloppenb. and subsp. valmayoriana (Kloppenb., Guevarra & Carandang) Kloppenb., Guevarra & Carandang.
Derivation of specific name: The species name honours its finder the Philippine laboratory technician and plant collector Blas Hernaez, who discovered the rare Hoya blashernaeziiSN|30645]]SN|30645]] at the island of Catanduanes near Luzon. This Hoya is also known as blaschernaezii, as well as many other variations.
Leaves: Long, thin and shaped like a dagger, about (6-)9-12(-18) cm long and (2-)2.5-3(-4) cm wide. The colour is medium green with lighter veins but no spots, they are hard to touch and a bit rough, young leaves are very bright and they get a nice red tinge when given a lot of sun. Leaves grown in bright light are much shorter than if grown in lower light conditions.
Inflorescences (umbels): Developing at the end of it's new growth. It has between 10 to 30 flowers per umbel.
Flowers: The flowers are cup-shaped, radially symmetrical and pentamerous ca. 1.5 cm in diameter and almost scentless, they have both the corolla as the crown in soft yellow hue and a shiny waxy texture. Peduncle to 12 cm long, pretty long for a Hoya.
Blooming season: This species flower easily and throughout the year but flowers only last about one week.
Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Hoya blashernaezii group
- Hoya blashernaezii Kloppenb.
- Hoya blashernaezii subs. siariae (Kloppenb.) Kloppenb.: flowers campanulate 12 mm in diameter, salmon pink, almost transparent, corona dark pink with a yellow centre, scentless. Umbels 10 to 25 flowered.
- Hoya blashernaezii subs. valmayoriana (Kloppenb., Guevarra & Carandang) Kloppenb., Guevarra & Carandang: flowers salmon pink, but reflexed instead of cup-shaped and bit smaller. Scentless. Umbels 15 to 30 flowered.
Hoya blashernaezii Photo by: Luiza Ferreira Send a photo of this plant.The gallery now contains thousands of pictures, however it is possible to do even more. We are, of course, seeking photos of species not yet shown in the gallery but not only that, we are also looking for better pictures than those already present.
Read More... Cultivation and Propagation: Hoya blashernaeziiSN|30645]]SN|30645]] is yellow bloomer that flowers prolifically once established. It is considered as an easy-to-care and very temperature-tolerant plan and is suitable for Hoya beginners if given plenty of water. It is topical plant that once again will do much better with some extra warmth and humidity. When in bloom it is a very interesting plant.
Growth rate: This is a compact shrubby species 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: Medium and low tolerance to drought growth, so it should be kept moist, but can dry up a bit from time to time without being damaged by it. 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 ideal for this species, temperature is between 20 and 25 but never below 10ºC. (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.
Warning: As Hoya blashernaeziiSN|30645]]SN|30645]] belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family it contains a white, milky sap, which may cause skin irritations.
Propagation: This species propagates readily from stem cuttings, whether in water, in soil or in a sterile medium (such as perlite).