Consulta Plantas

Care of the indoor plant Hoya bella or Wax flower

The genus Hoya, family Apocynaceae, includes more than 200 species of climbing plants native to tropical Asia, Polynesia and Australia. Some species are: Hoya bella, Hoya carnosa, Hoya imperialis, Hoya australis, Hoya kerrii, Hoya glabra, Hoya cinnamomifolia, Hoya multiflora.

Common names: Wax flower, Beautiful hoya or Pretty waxflower. This species is native to northeast India.

They are small climbing shrubs with slender stems that reach 60 cm (1.96 feet) in length. The fleshy evergreen leaves are small, oval, and dark green; there are varieties with variegated and curly leaves. The scented flowers are small, white with a reddish center, and appear in compact, waxy-textured umbels. They bloom in summer.

They are used as indoor and greenhouse plants in hanging pots and by windows. In tropical climate zones they can be grown outdoors.

The Hoya bella needs a very bright exposure but without direct sunlight. In winter they need a period of rest at 13-14 ºC (55-57 ºF).

The soil can be a mixture of well-drained heath and humus soil with coarse sand. The transplant is done at the end of winter only if the pot has become too small; the fewer transplants the better.

Frequently water with water without lime in spring, summer and autumn so that the substrate is always moist (never flood). In winter reduce watering waiting for the substrate to be almost dry. In summer you have to spray the leaves with water without lime if it is very hot.

You don't have to prune them.

Fertilize with mineral fertilizer for indoor plants every 30 days in summer.

They are attacked by cottony mealybugs and aphids if the ambient humidity is low or the ventilation is not correct.

Propagate in spring from cuttings.

Images of the indoor plant Hoya bella or Wax flower