“Hoya medusa was collected by local collectors in Luzon Island, Mt. Cetaceo and has been in cultivation, circulated by local plant nurseries and plant hobbyists. It was first collected in low montane forest at 500 to 1,000 m where it was growing as an epiphyte in disturbed primary broadly leaf and mossy forest in full sun to part shade.” Thanks to Mary Carroll for providing the information!

The following information was taken from “Hoya medusa M.D. De Leon, Cabactulan, Cuerdo, & Rodda in Pelser, P.B., J.F. Barcelona & D.L. Nickrent (eds.). 2011 onwards. Co’s Digital Flora of the Philippines. www.philippineplants.org.” Once again a big shout out to Mary Carroll for digging all of this up.

“Plant epiphytic pendent shrub, with slender terete stems. Leaf blades coriaceous, stiff, flat to slightly curved, variable in shape, oblong, ovate, to elliptic-ovate, 5.5-9 cm long × 2-3.4 cm wide, base acute to obtuse, apex acute to acuminate, with a caudate tip, margins entire, occasionally slightly undulate sparsely pubescent to glabrescent in older leaves, venation pinnate-brochidodromous, with 4-8 lateral veins on each sides of mid vein, prominent (very pale green) on younger leaves and obscure on older leaves yet clearly visible on dried specimens, colleters one at each lamina base, conical, c. 0.20 mm long, grayish brown. Inflorescence extra-axillary, umbelliform, convex, with up to 11 (16) flowers. Calyx lobes oblong, 1.8-2 mm long, reddish, abaxially strigose, adaxially glabrous, basal colleters 1 between each calyx lobe. Corolla basally urn-shaped, with flat spreading lobes, white, corolla lobes spreading, 0.85 to 1.0 cm in diameter, lobes triangular ovate, apex acute, slightly revolute, margins revolute, inner surface glabrous, outer surface densely strigose, white. Corona staminal 4-5 mm high, c. 3 mm in diam., corona lobe bulbous-obpyriform, inner (apical) process caudate, upright, curved, wavy to serpentine, meeting at the center and overlapping, erect above the gynostegium, outer (basal) process obovate, with basal revolute margins white and yellowish in center.” Hoya medusa gets its name from “the serpentine processes of the inner corona reminiscent of the snake headdress of Medusa in Greek mythology.”

I received a cutting of Hoya medusa from the wonderful people (Adam, Lydia, and Jessi) from the podcast Lets Talk Hoyas back in April of 2024. It easily rooted in coconut husk and began growing steadily. I knew nothing about the plant, but the name really intrigued me! It was a slow growing shrubby type Hoya. Its best feature is that all of the new growth comes in beautifully red. As the leaves mature they revert to green. After growing the plant for a few months it sent up a second vine from its base, which always makes me happy. At every leaf node there looked to be small peduncles that could be observed with a magnifying glass but it took about 9 months from starting the Hoya from a cutting before I finally noticed signs of budding up. It flowered about a month later in February of 2025.

Hoya medusa has some positives; first it has lovely red new growth, and second the extremely small flowers, which are only a little bigger than a Dischidia don’t drip nectar. I think that it could make an interesting specimen if grown in a small hanging basket with several cuttings growing over the sides. I have only been growing it now for about a year, but will report back when I have more experience. For now. I would say that it is a plant best suited for serious collectors. I have to end by saying though that I had a lot of fun growing it out!