Hoya engleriana is a very small leafed Hoya from Thailand that has expanded its range to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.  It is found in mountainous ranges that are often fog and mist shrouded.  The plant was named after Dr. Engler a famous editor of botanical yearbooks.  There are never more than four flowers in an umbel at the end of a very short peduncle.

Hoya engleriana is not the easiest plant to cultivate and I failed with it on my first attempt in 2008.  I received a very nice rooted cutting from my friend Julie Kennedy in the summer of 2012, and it flowered eight months later in the late spring of 2013.

When this plant is not happy, leaves will yellow and you will lose them in bunches.  I moved my plant from semi-hydro where it was not all that happy and dropped it into a pot with 3 inches of leca in the bottom and filled in around it with soil.  I never let the plant dry out and grew it under artificial light in a high humidity grow tent. It is capable of very rapid growth when grown under favorable conditions with mine growing almost two feet in a few months.  The flowers are lovely and almost indistinguishable from H. bella – there is no detectable scent.  If you are looking for a challenge, I can readily recommend that you give Hoya engleriana at try!

Hoya engleriana – Success at Last!