Hoya sp. Krabi, South of Thailand EPC-188

I received Hoya sp. Krabi, South of Thailand EPC-188 as Hoya sp. EPC-188, Krabi Island from Rick Morier in the summer of 2016.  It never did well for me and is one of the Hoyas that I think stressed flowered for me.  Stress flowering is a plants last ditch response to reproduce, before it dies.

Krabi is the main town in the province of Krabi on the west coast of southern Thailand.  This is an area that never goes below 71°F at night and averages 90°F or higher during the day 12 months of the year.  If the plant was unhappy with me, it could be that I simply could never keep the plant warm enough. In addition, I suspected that the plant needed limestone added to the mix.  The plant looked so bad at its worst that I suspected it might have a virus. After adding crushed oyster shell to its potting mix, the plant did, after about six months, look considerably better, but began to go down hill again with the onset of colder weather so I finally threw the plant out.

Hoya sp. Krabi, South of Thailand EPC-188 is a Hoya that I never really mastered, but was a plant that I’m glad that I had the opportunity to bloom.  I can’t really recommend it; as a far better candidate with a similar flower would be Hoya micrantha which makes a beautiful specimen with none of the problems of Krabi.