Scientific Name
Hoya pubicalyx 'Red Buttons'
Scientific Classification
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Tribe: Marsdenieae
Genus: Hoya
Flower
Color: Purple and red
Bloom Time: Spring
Description
Hoya pubicalyx 'Red Buttons' is a woody epiphyte or scrambling shrub with clusters of deep dark purple flowers with red centers. It often has purple or red stems and blotches on leaves of the same color. This plant is a fairly fast grower with blooms in the springtime.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 10b to 11b: from 35 °F (+1.7 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Hoya plants don't ask for much beyond the well-draining soil and the warm, humid conditions that many tropical flowers crave. They don't like wet feet or heavy soil, and as many grow as epiphytes in nature (similar to bromeliads and orchids). Give them at least a half-day of sunshine, and bring them indoors when temperatures drop below 50 degrees F (10 degrees C).
When your Hoyas finishes blooming, leave the flower stalk, as it may produce new flowers. Removing the stalk forces the plant to produce a new stalk, which delays blooming and wastes the plant's energy. They are light feeders, and a monthly drink of compost tea or dilute fish emulsion provides all the nutrition these tropicals need. Hoyas like the security of a snug pot and plants that are a bit root bound will flower more prolifically than those swimming around in a giant pot.
Propagate Hoyas by cuttings of top growth or by leaf cuttings. The average cutting or leaf start will produce a blooming plant in 2 years or less.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Hoya.
Origin
This plant is a cultivar of Hoya pubicalyx.
Links
- Back to genus Hoya
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
Photo Gallery
Click on a photo to see a larger version.
