After finishing up with a great Philippine Hoya, we move right into another one with Hoya sp. Mindanao UT-247. I though we would start by talking about where it comes from. Mindanao also referred to as the Southern Philippines is the second largest Island in the country. It has over 25 million residents, and has a wide range of geographic features from towering mountains to coastal plains. Below the flowers of Hoya sp. Mindanao UT-247:

Once again all good things must come to an end, and me talking about Hoya sp. MT-02 is no exception. I have to say that I really like this Hoya a lot! With its large butterscotch scented blooms, and its easy growing characteristics, it makes a phenomenal houseplant. Water it with rain water, and I’m sure you won’t have to wait almost six years for flowers.

Hoya sp. MT-02 first flowered in January 2019 and has since become a blooming machine. At one point I had five peduncles in flower and two others in bud. This is just crazy, and it is has two possible causes. One the plant had to be five years old in order to flower, or it is the RO water; I’m betting on the water.

Here are a couple of close ups of the flowers of Hoya sp. MT-02:

The peduncle and buds grew strongly and it was no time at all before the buds opened up with the most amazingly strong butterscotch fragrance. The flowers were quite large for Acanthostemma Section Hoyas. These are Hoyas primarily found in the Philippines and all have revolute flowers with examples being DS-70, Hoya davidcummingii, Hoya kentiana, Hoya memoria, and Hoya sigillatis.

I believe that I finally was able to flower this Hoya because of using the RO water. I think the regular tap water was too hard and the minerals contained in it inhibited the formation of peduncles. I have since flowered a number of stubborn Hoyas using reverse osmosis water and will not go back to tap water for Hoyas that I have yet to flower.

After five plus years of growing Hoya sp. MT-02 without getting a peduncle, I started watering the plant with reverse osmosis water, which takes out all of the water hardness, and makes it as close to rain water as you can get. One day while tending the plants in the grow-tent I moved a vine and looked at Hoya sp. MT-02, and I almost fell over when I noticed a peduncle that was not only growing, but budding up. At first I did not believe that the peduncle even belonged to the plant as I was resigned to never flowering this Hoya, but after following the vine 3 times, I finally realized it really belonged to MT-02!

I tried various fertilizing regimes over the years, moved the plant from place to place giving it variously different micro climates. I had it outside in the greenhouse and directly outdoors, but nothing would induce this plant to form a peduncle. Tomorrow I tell what I think finally did the trick.

Like I said in an earlier post, Hoya sp. MT-02 was not a hard Hoya to grow. I potted it up in my regular mix back 2013, and transplanted it a few times over time. The mystifying part of the plant is why year after year it would never put on a peduncle. Below the flowers of Hoya sp. MT-02:

Hoya sp. MT-02 is endemic to the Philippines. I Knew nothing about this plant until it flowered and I asked Julie Kennedy if she could tell me anything. She contacted Torill Nyhuus who supplied her with the plant. She said that it was given to Nathalie Simonsson by May Tolentino in the Philippines, hence the MT in the accession number. Below the plant in all of its glory:

Hoya sp. MT-02 came to me as a cutting from Julie Kennedy in the UK. It seems that so many of my most prized Hoyas came from her. I can’t say enough good things about her, but I digress. This was a easy to grow plant that was a bear to flower. Below a typical Leaf from this plant: