I’ve seen it written that Hoya lithophytica can be grown on a support, and it simply cannot be grown this way in my experience. This species is stiff and only wants to grow downwards. I think that it is because of growing on limestone cliffs in its native habitat. It must also be grown with limestone added to its mix, or it simply won’t be happy.
We will spend a couple of days with this limestone loving species, because apparently it is not the easiest Hoya to grow or flower. Below the buds of Hoya lithophytica:
Every day that passes I get a little more knowledgeable about how to care for this plant. I have it growing currently in 4 different medias. Here are the flowers from two plants – one grown in sphagnum and one grown in Luchuza Pon.
I recently sold my friend Amy a number of Hoyas that she has displayed in a brand new way in her home. I am always amazed at the myriad of ways that people show off their plants. I think this wall display looks fantastic, and thank you Amy for sending the photos!
This Hoya was a real challenge for me to not only bring into flower, but to grow as well. I think if you follow my advice and grow this plant in a series of net pots, it is a plant that can be brought into flower in a couple of years when grown in a warm high humidity environment. If you don’t have such an environment, I think there are better candidates to consider such as good old DS-70. I am however very happy that I was able to flower this one on two separate occasions. I rate this Hoya on a degree of difficulty scale with 1 being dead easy and 10 being impossible at a 6.
Tomorrow we finish up with this Hoya, but for now here is a shot of the beautiful foliage of Hoya sp. NS05-240:
Hoya sp. NS05-240 is one of the many Hoyas in the section called Acanthostemma. Below is a nice close up of the flowers:
Here are a couple of photos of Hoya sp. NS05-240 showing the plant in its entirety. Notice how closely it resembles Hoya DS-70 except for the length of the peduncles and size of the flower heads.
Hoya sp. NS05-240 was discovered in 2005 by Nathalie Simonsson during her travels. I am unsure where this plant is endemic, and if any of you out there know the answer, please contact me through YouTube.
Finally after five to six years of waiting the flowers of Hoya sp. NS05-240:
