As near as I can gather from my limited time to scour the internet, Hoya Icensis was an accidental cross of unknown parentage in or near the AH Hoya Nursery in Thailand. It was originally called AH Seeds 023 and then was called Hoya cv. Patcharwalai. How and why it was then changed to Hoya Icensis, I have no idea, and anyone who knows the answer, please let me know!

Hoya Icensis came to me in a trade with another grower here in Vermont in 2020. While it rooted quickly it was not a good grower and within a year developed some necrotic spots on a few leaves. I took cuttings of the part of the plant that still looked healthy and restarted it in coconut husk. This go around I kept the plant under less light than I had the first time trying to avoid the red spots that eventually turned into dead tissue. It seemed to work and the leaves were flawless this time with a much more healthy looking plant. The leaves of this Hoya are very succulent, and I would not be surprised if there is some Hoya pachylada in it.

I should also say that Hoya Icensis requires very little water. It stays moist for 2-3 weeks at a time after a watering. It is easy to develop root rot on this one. I finally got a peduncle that developed buds in November of last year (2022) and was really looking forward to the flowers. The blooms on this Hoya are really striking! I have read that the blooms smell of licorice, but it is very light and not really too noticeable to me. The blooms only last about three or four days in the fully reflexed position.

I can highly recommend this wonderful Hoya, which should be readily available. Even without the striking flowers, the leaves are stunningly beautiful on this plant. Keep in mind to water this plant sparingly and don’t over light it and it should give you little trouble