Hoya lasiantha is an easy Hoya to grow but a difficult plant to flower.  This plant hails from peninsula Malaysia and Borneo.  It can be grown either in soil or in leca, but grows the fastest using a full or semi-hydroponic method.

I received my rooted cutting from a hobbyist in Florida in the summer of 2012, and was gratified to see how quickly it took off and grew in my greenhouse.  I was soon to be disappointed however when the first set of buds fell off one by one.  I eventually got two buds to open to see what the flowers looked like.  The buds kept falling off for no apparent reason all summer long, and I eventually cut the plant up and started it in leca using the semi-hydro method hoping for better results.

Within four months the plant started to bud up and in the ensuing months I lost dozens of almost full-term buds before they could open.  Sometimes even the entire peduncle would fall off!  I had almost given up on this plant when from out of nowhere it surprised me, and seven flowers opened up at one time.  The photos here are the result of that occurrence.

Because of the difficulty of bringing flowers to term with this plant I cannot really recommend this plant unless you are really up to the challenge.  Its very close cousin H. praetorii is the one to get if you want an easy plant.  While lasiantha is larger and has lighter more golden blooms, they are not different enough to warrant owning both unless you have a lot of growing space.  I am developing a three-part video of my experiences with the plant in the near future.

Hoya lasiantha Close Up – April 2013

Hoya lasiantha Showing the Entire Plant – April 2013