Hoya leticiae was collected in Nakar, Quezon Philippines, and is a member of the Acanthostemma Section of Hoyas. The plant was named after Dr. Leticia E. Afuang of the MNH Zoological and Wildlife Collection, by Dale Kloppenburg. It has leaves that are unique to the Acanthstemma Section of Hoyas. They about 1 1/2 inches long and have visible veins that sit at a 45 degree angle to the mid-rib. The flowers are small and numerous with approximately 15 on a peduncle.
Hoya leticiae came to me in my very first Thai order placed with AH Hoyas in 2016. Like many Hoyas I struggled with it at first. I suffered root rot with it early on and it literally sat there doing nothing for at least a year and a half before I took a couple of cuttings and restarted the plant. For some reason, the second time was the charm with this one. After restarting with a couple of less than ideal cuttings, the plant took this time and began to grow. I was much more careful when I watered the plant this go around. I was very impressed with the foliage on this plant with the deep reddish coloration of the leaves in good light.
After growing well for a year or so, the plant put on its first peduncle and budded up. It grew in my regular Hoya mix. After getting those first flowers, Hoya leticiae turned into a flowering machine developing multiple peduncles and flowering dozens of times. The optimum conditions for growing this plant would be as follows: Start cuttings in a small pot in a mixture of potting soil amended with perlite and fine orchid bark for improved drainage. When the roots fill the pot move up to next size pot. Hoya leticiae should be grown as a hanger and not on a trellis. The temperatures should range through the 80’s Fahrenheit during the day and drop to low to mid 60s at night. Relative humidity should be above 60% at all times for good growth. Lighting should be bright with no more than a couple of hours of direct sun.
Hoya leticiae is a fantastic little Hoya that with some accommodations for its humidity loving ways with reward you with hundreds of cute little flowers and some stunning leaves. It gets a high recommendation for both newbie and advanced collectors.
