Hoya imperialis

This hoya comes from Malaysia and the Philippines and it was described in 1846.

This is an impressive hoya, just like the name implies... It's a climbing hoya with large light green leaves about 12-15 cm long and 6-8 cm wide. The leaves are ovate and have prominent veins along the middle, a little vawy egdes and no flecks. It seems to be a hoya that grows in spurts, and it twines around anything it gets hold of. It's best kept on a large support and the stems stiffen fast so try to wrap new vines as soon as possible or you might break them off.

The flowers are among the largest in the hoya family. The size seems to vary, but from all information I found they are normally 7-9 cm and you'll find 9-12 cup shaped flowers in each umbel. The flowers can be anything from pink, red to almost burgundy. The center of the corolla is often white and the corona is white. The flowers last between 14-20 days and produce quite a lot of sticky nectar. I've noticed a fresh fragrance, almost like gardenia, late at night and early in the morning.

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Hoya imperialis Lindley

**Hoya imperialis *Lindley***