Are you a fan of fragrant flowers? The answer would be definitely yes! We are going to discuss a unique plant which can make the whole surrounding fragrant at night. The Hoya lacunosa is an evergreen perennial vine. Small, green, oval-shaped leaves grow of thin trailing vines. Moreover, umbels of white to cream tiny flowers bloom to produce a strong mesmerizing fragrance almost throughout the year.
This Indonesian native plant can grow up to 5 feet. This semi-succulent beauty can grow both indoors and outdoors in a suitable environment. You can use this vine to make shelf pots, containers and hanging baskets. Thinking to get one to have fragrant nights? Well, good news! This Hoya vine is low-maintenance and can grow without creating much fuss. Interesting?
Let us learn more about the care and maintenance of the Cinnamon scented Hoya plant.
Hoya Lacunosa Classification
Family: Apocynaceae (The Dogbane Family)
Genus: Hoya.
Species: H. lacunosa
Common Names of the Hoya Lacunosa
- Cinnamon-scented Wax Plant.
- Cinnamon-scented Hoya.
Genus Hoya
This is a popular genus of about 700 evergreen flowering species with continuous discovery and addition of members. The famous botanist Robert Brown first described it officially and named it in tribute of Thomas Hoy.
Thick, waxy, and glossy leaves are the most prominent feature of these peeps. Moreover, they are popular for bunches of small and colorful seasonal flowers. These two features are responsible for the combined common names of the genus. These names include ‘Wax Flower Plant’, ‘Wax vine’ and ‘Porcelain Flower Plant’. As far as the growth habit is concerned, these plants are common epiphytic climbers.
Features of the Hoya Lacunosa Plant
Size
- The training stems of the plant can reach a height of about 2.5 to 6 feet.
Leaves
- Each mature leaf is about 3 to 4 inches in size.
- Small oval-shaped leaves are semi-succulent in nature. Moreover, they grow in a close and alternate pattern on the plant.
Hoya Lacunosa Flower
- Clusters of tiny Wax Hoya Flowers grow throughout the season of spring to fall. Moreover, in some warmer zones, the plant may surprisingly bloom throughout the year.
- About 15 to 25 tiny flowers of 0.25 cm each join to form an umbel.
- The scent of these beautiful off-white flowers is enough to fill a complete room.
- The average life of these flowers is about 5 days. Moreover, they contain very little to no nectar.
Toxicity
The Lacunosa Hoya belongs to a famous milk-weed family with white latex running inside the foliage. This latex is toxic in nature. So, it is better to keep kids and pets away from this vine.
Where to Grow
This vine with beautiful white flowers is suitable for both indoor and outdoor plantations. You can grow them in pots, containers and hanging baskets. Outdoors, grow to form beautiful expanded vines in open land.
Varieties
The other varieties of the plant include the H. lacunosa ‘Langkawi Island’, ‘Ruby Sue’ and the ‘Tove’. The foliage shows slight differences in the size of leaves and flowers. The ‘Langkawi Island’ has the smallest foliage while the ‘Tove’ grows with slightly larger leaves and flowers.
Hoya lacunosa ‘Snow Caps’:
Snow Caps or the Hoya lacunose Albo is a popular variegated variety of the Lacunosa Vine. The dark green leaves with white speckled variegation add to the beauty of the Hoya Snow Caps.
All the requirements of these varieties are pretty similar to the parent plant, as described later in the article.
H. lacunosa Vs. H. krohniana
This product is recently determined and has been wrongly traded as the ‘Heart-leaf lacunosa’ for years. The krohniana also gives the typical cinnamon fragrance. Moreover, both of these plants show a close resemblance in appearance. However, the Krohniana blooms in a comparatively cooler atmosphere. It produces buds but these buds bloom in a warm atmosphere i.e. above 85 °F.
Hoya Lacunosa Care
The common Hoya Care is enough to keep this easy to care plant happy. This is quite suitable for beginners and busy people.
Water Requirement
Follow the general Hoya watering technique for this vine. Water generously and let the soil dry out between watering. The soil should never be soggy for Hoyas. So, make sure you never over-water.
The number of weekly water doses depends upon the temperature, humidity, and sunlight exposure. In spring and summer, the estimated frequency of watering is about once to thrice a week. On the other hand, watering the plant in one to two weeks is enough to keep the vine happy in fall and winter.
Sunlight Requirement
The plant and its varieties love to stay in bright indirect light. In outdoor plantation, select a well-lit spot under some shade. Direct sunlight can scorch out the waxy delicate foliage. Thus, make sure you keep the plant away from it.
Temperature Requirement
The ideal temperature range for the plant is between 50 to 80 °F. These semi-succulents can’t withstand severe temperatures. Any temperature below 10 °F can freeze and even kill the plant. Secondly, keep these dandy peeps away from drift and strong airs. Avoid placing them in windows with strong winds and direct exposure of air-conditioners and heaters.
Humidity Requirement
This vine can resist a range of humidity levels except for the drier condition. However, it would love to be at a moisture level of 60% or above. On dry days, consider misting your plant by letting the foliage in a ventilated place. Moreover, you can try grouping the plants or adding a good humidifier in the surroundings.
Soil Requirement
Grow the Lacunosa Hoya in well-drained and organically rich soil. Additionally, it should provide good aeration to dry quickly and avoid pooling.
Fertilizer Requirements
Use a good quality houseplant fertilizer in a moderate dose. Give a monthly dose starting from spring and ending with the end of the summer season. The cool days of fall and winter do not need any additional nutrients in particular.
Pot Requirements
You can grow this vine in shelf pots, containers, and hanging baskets. Howbeit, make sure the pot has drainage holes at the base.
Pruning Requirements
Remove the unhealthy leaves frequently in spring and summer. This will make the plant look healthy and fresh with a nice shape.
Growth Zone
Majority of the Hoya plants are hardy in USDA growth zone 11. (above 40 F). This means you can grow them outdoors throughout the year. Moreover, you don’t need to shift the plant indoors with the fall.
Hoya Lacunosa Propagation
Hoya plants are generally easy to propagate. The common methods to propagate the plant are;
- Stem-tip cutting.
- Air-layering
Season
The ideal time to propagate the vine is the months of spring and summer.
Let us have a look at the stem-tip cutting method to get new Hoyas.
Stem-tip Cutting
- Take a sharp knife to cut a 5 to 8 inches long stem cutting from the growing end. The cutting end should be about ¼ of an inch below the node. Moreover, there should be at least 2 nodes in the cutting. Cut more than 3 cuttings to enhance the propagation process and get a bushy new plant.
- Remove the leaves from the lower end of the stem and leave the upper ones.
- Now, plant the cuttings in moist quick-draining soil.
- The cuttings need some warm spots with medium indirect light. Keep the soil moist by watering the soil with a spray and letting it get about 70% dry between the intervals.
- Wait for about 3 weeks and the cuttings will develop baby roots. This will be followed by shoot development after about 5 weeks.
- A well-grown Hoya vine will be around you after about 3 months.
Propagation in Water
- You can plant these cuttings in water as well. Just take a water pot and fill it with tap water. Let it stay for a night to let the chlorine settle down.
- Now dip the cuttings about 4 inches deep keeping the nodes under the water.
- Seeing the development of the rooting system inside a glass jar is surely an exciting experience. You can transfer it to the soil after about 3 to 4 months. Moreover, you can also let the plant keep growing in water and your Hoya Vine would not mind at all.
Get ready to enjoy the intoxicating fragrance of the Lacunosa Hoya around you!
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Summary
Hoya lacunosa is an epiphytic perennial flowering plant. The plant is loved for the strong Cinnamon-like scent produced by the Hoya lacunosa flowers at night. The foliage is simple and consists of small oval leaves growing closely on thin vines. The plant has many different varieties in which the Hoya Snow Caps is the most popular.
This is a popular and one of the most beautiful albo variety with white splashes of variegation. These vines are perfect to make small pots, containers, and hanging baskets. Apart from the beautiful foliage, they have a plus point of being low-maintenance in nature. Importantly, the Lacunosas have typical toxic sap. So, it is always better to keep them away from kids and pets.
