Hoya australis ssp. Oramicola is endemic to two islands, Bathurst and Melville in the Northern Territories of Australia. It flowers March through July with fruits following 3-4 months later. The late, great, David Liddle, who supplied so many of us with new Hoyas for years, was one of the discoverers of this subspecies of H. australis.
There has been a large hole in my Hoya growing resume to this point and that has been the absence of Hoya australis. The reason for this is that when I first started out with Hoya about 15 years ago, I knew nothing of Hoya culture, and I lost a couple of australis by over watering and simply never went back to them. Fast forward to this summer and my good friend Robert from Colorado remedied my lack of australis by having Ted Green send me two different cuttings from Hawaii. I received two different clones: Hoya australis ssp. Oramicola and H. australis var Tonga.
Hoya australis ssp. Oramicola rooted and grew faster than maybe any other Hoya that I have experienced. The only other one that comes close might be Hoya imperialis. There is probably over 20 feet of vine in this one if it was all unwrapped from its trellis. I had to pot this one up numerous times over the period of six month to try and keep up. I fear that it may be a losing battle!
Hoya australis ssp. Oramicola is very sweetly scented but not as powerfully perfumed as its close relative Hoya calycina. The leaves are glabrous and get a lovely reddish tinge in high light.
According to Ted Green’s website, this plant is xerophytic, meaning a plant adapted to an arid environment, and should be grown dry in the winter time. This is probably good advice as it grows on dunes and red laterite in it native environment where it is subject to a monsoon rainy season followed by a long dry season. I have probably truly messed my plant up as it has been highly watered in a completely artificial environment since I received it!
Hoya australis ssp. Oramicola is a truly wonderful specimen plant that seems unproblematic. It is an extremely fast grower, that flowers early and has a wonderful perfume. What more can you look for in a houseplant? It receives my highest recommendation!
