Say hello to a long-living and easy-to-care Hoya vine, with large leaves and dangling stems, the Hoya macrophylla. The thin dangling stems can get about a meter or two in length. All these stems are covered with oval-shaped dark green leaves with pale borders and embossed vein patterns.
As the name suggests, the leaves are the largest among all the Hoyas, getting about 6 to 8 inches long. Small tendrils pop out on the stems to grab some support. In the warm season, the vine enhances its beauty by clusters of tiny flowers.
These peeps may surprise you by producing a strong scent at night while they stay odorless the whole day! Still with us? Keep reading to learn more about the Macrophylla Hoya Plant.
Hoya macrophylla Classification
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Hoya
Species: H. macrophylla
Genus Hoya:
It is a genus of evergreen perennial plants. It was discovered by Robert Brown and named in the tribute of his botanist friend Thomas Hoy. More than 500 species were a part of this genus. However, the number got reduced due to modern issues like deforestation. Experts believe that a large number of species are currently and will be identified in the future to increase the number.
The majority of these plants are epiphytic in nature with waxy thick leaves. Moreover, they have small clusters of waxy flowers with specific smells. These features are responsible for associating several common names with all the genus members. Popular names include wax vine, wax plant, and waxflower plants.
Hoya macrophylla Plant Features
Leaves
- The leaves of this plant are the largest among all the Hoyas. Each mature leaf gets about 2 to 3 inches wide and around 6 to 8 inches long.
Flowers
- The plant grows numerous bunches of star-shaped tiny flowers in the typical Hoya form. These flowers have waxy surfaces and are white to pink in color.
- Each Hoya macrophylla Flower is bout 0.25 cm forming a bunch of about an inch or two.
- These flowers are odorless in day time. However, they produce a specific fragrance at night. This is to attract the nocturnal pollinators. Some people relate this smell to chocolate and some people consider it like smelly socks. So, it’s a friendly suggestion; just check for the scent of these flowers before buying.
Toxicity
The plant shows the typical Hoya toxicity. High numbers of calcium oxalate crystals in the foliage make it unsafe for animals and humans. So, make sure pets and kids stay away from the Macrophylla Wax Vine. Makeover, don’t delay getting medical assistance in case of ingestion.
The Hoya macrophylla Plant has several varieties just like the majority of other Hoyas. Let us have a look at two of the popular ones:
Hoya macrophylla Variegata
This is a rare variegated form of the Macrophylla. Some or majority of the leaves show patched variegations in shades of green, off-white, white, and even pink. Moreover, these variegations become prominent with bright light and moderately lower temperatures.
These variegated patterns give a unique look making no Hoya macrophylla Variegata look similar to the other. However, all other features including size, nature, and requirements are pretty similar to the parent Macrophylla Wax Plant.
Hoya macrophylla albomarginata
This is another attractive yet rare form. The margins of the leaves show different shades in green, white, and even pink. Also, these shades sometimes appear in the middle or other parts of the leaf surface.
Just like other varieties, the nature and growing requirements of Hoya macrophylla albomarginata are the same as the parent. Keep reading further to learn in detail.
Hoya macrophylla Care
Hoya Macrophylla too is a simple Hoya, happy with the common Hoya Plant Care.
Quick Guide
Water: Below average (Soak and dry method)
Light: Bright indirect sun
Humidity: High (Above 70%)
Fertilizer: Mild doses in spring and summer.
Let us have a deeper understanding about growing up your Wax Vine:
Water Requirement
These plants belong to regions with high temperatures and rare but ample rains in the season. This gives the understanding of the ‘Soak and dry’ watering principle for these plants. So, you have to water the soil thoroughly and let it dry out between consecutive waterings.
If the plant is new to you, it is better to understand the drying pattern of the soil for each season. You can check the upper soil by sticking your finger or some stick about 3 inches in the soil. If it comes out wet, you have to wait until you find it coming out dry. On the other hand, check the drainage holes to estimate the dryness of the lower half. When you find the soil fully dry, consider it a time to water.
Soak the soil thoroughly until the water starts draining from the holes. The watering frequency varies with temperature, sunlight, and humidity factors. In spring and summer, an estimated frequency is about once every 7 to 15 days. Moreover, the cold days reduce the watering routine to once every 20 to 25 days.
Overwatering and soggy soil tend to rot and kill the plant. Thus, don’t water unless the soil gets fully dry.
Sunlight Requirement
The bright indirect sun is ideal for the majority of Hoyas. Also, direct sun is unsuitable as it can scorch out and kill the delicate foliage. This is understandable from their natural epiphytic growth habitat. These clinging Hoya vines grow around the tall trees enjoying the dappled sun under the shades.
A few feet away from an east-facing window is the ideal location for an indoor plantation. Your plant must get bright light while avoiding long hours of direct sun.
In case you are using the hanging hooks, make sure it is hung at a lower height. This will help the upper part of the foliage to get proper sun. Moreover, it should be away enough from the window to avoid overheating.
Hoyas staying in under-lit conditions start losing leaves while getting thin and wonky. So, changing the place to the brighter indirect sun is the first solution to a leggy Hoya.
Temperature Requirement
These beautiful wax vines like to stay warm. Also, they have poor tolerance for cold and frost. An ideal temperature range for your plant comes between 30 to 40 °F.
The people of temperate regions should make sure to bring their Hoyas indoor at some warm spot. A temperature below 55to 60 °F pushes the plant to go dormant or sleepy.
Hoya macrophylla black dots is a common issue due to higher temperature. A plant standing in a hot and humid outdoor atmosphere may show black spots on the leaves. However, it’s nothing serious as this is not a disease. Just provide them with a suitable temperature and the foliage will get healthy pretty soon.
Humidity Requirement
Hoyas’ love for humidity is nothing doubtful. They would love to be in higher humidity levels. However, you would be relaxed to know that they can happily tolerate the average levels. Thus, feel free to keep them in a moisture level of 50 to 70%.
On dry days, they would love a daily dose of mild misting. Just make sure the plant says at a well-ventilated place to help it dry quickly. Foliage staying wet for long can attract issues like pest attacks and fungus. Moreover, you can use a humidifier or a pebble-water tray under the pot.
Experts don’t recommend grouping in Hoyas. The reason being it can invite plant issues.
Soil Requirement
A well-draining potting mix/soil with alkaline PH is ideal for these plants. Unlike the majority of houseplants, the Macrophylla Wax vine naturally likes to grow in sweet alkaline soil.
An equal mixture of regular potting mixture, perlite, and the charcoal-rich orchid mix is a good option. It fulfills all the requirements of basic nature and aeration. Adding some crushed eggshells or oyster shells in the growing mix helps to increase the basic nature.
Fertilizer Requirements
Monthly or bi-monthly mild doses of a balanced house plant mixture are good for the growing season. Avoid the harmful consequences of over-fertilization by using mild/ half of the suggested dose. Moreover, avoid fertilizing after the end of the summer as the plants need lesser nutrition in cold.
Potting Requirements
Choose a small to medium-sized pot with drainage holes at the base. As you know, these epiphytic plants need support to grow. Simply shape and decorate the plant according to your taste and interior.
You can use a pole-like support made up of sphagnum moss. Also, hanging the plant with vine hooks is another nice option.
Repotting Requirements
Let the plant get fully root bound before repotting. It is estimated that a vine will be fine without repotting for a good period of two years.
As mentioned above, it is good to add orchid bark to the growing mixture. This bark deteriorates and gets acidic after about 2 years. This is another reason to schedule refreshing the potting mixture after 2 years.
Your root-bound Hoya vine may not necessarily need a larger pot. You can simply use a fresh potting mixture in the old pot.
Pruning Requirements
Removing the damaged leaves always helps the plant look fresh and healthy. Besides, you can also maintain the size of the plant according to your taste. This can be done by mild trimming and cutting of the branches with sterilized shears.
Hoya macrophylla propagation
Feel free to make more Hoyas as they are easy to propagate. Also, your plant-loving friends are surely going to love receiving them as gifts. Using stem-cutting is the most popular method of propagation.
Season:
Spring and summer are active growing seasons for the plants. The period between the middle of these seasons is ideal for propagation.
Propagation by stem-cuttings:
- Cut a few stem-cuttings, each 5 to 8 inches in length. Make sure each cutting has at least two leaves on the upper side.
- Dip the lower end in the growth hormone powder and shed off the excess. You can skip this product in case of unavailability.
- Plant the cuttings in water or sphagnum moss. In the case of moss, mist it with water and cover it with polythene to combat moisture loss.
- Place the setup in indirect light and a temperature above 72 °F.
- After about 30 to 45 days, these cuttings will root. You can simply take them out and shed off the sphagnum moss. There is no need to pick up every root from the moss, as some of them will remain stuck. Just gently pick the cuttings along with the roots and plant them in the soil.
- The cuttings rooted in moss will settle quicker in the soil, as compared to the water-rooted ones.
Initial Care:
- Once you plant the cuttings in well-draining soil, you have to avoid washing out the new plantlets. Water the soil mildly and wait for it to dry out before the next watering.
- After about 4 to 5 weeks, the cuttings will be settled as individual plants. Just follow the Hoya macrophylla Care as mentioned in the previous section.
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Summary
Hoya macrophylla is a low-maintenance long-living epiphytic plant, belonging to Austral-Asia. This vine can get about 1 to 2 meters long in the indoor plantation. The leaves are dark-green with pale borders and prominent veins in embossed patterns.
The small waxy flowers growing in clusters throughout the summer are another prominent feature. Also, at night, these tiny flower bunches produce a specific smell. Bright indirect light, high humidity, and watering by the ‘soak and dry method’ are what they need to stay happy.
To ensure healthy growth, don’t forget to add support like a sphagnum moss pole or plant hooks. Besides, these vines are toxic. So, make sure kids and pets don’t mingle with the Macrophylla Hoya Plant.
