Hoya patella ‘White’ (IML 1083)

The White Hoya patella is a native of Papua New Guinea just like its sister the Pink patella.  I first obtained a very small cutting of White patella in 2010 in a group order from the Liddle Nursery.  It was a miserly cutting  of only three leaves.  I managed to root it, but every time it would start to grow and throw up a vine it would die.  I saw my excitement with new growth crushed at least seven different times.  Finally my little plant could no longer try to grow and died in 2012.  I always attributed my failure with the plant to the small size of the cutting that I had to work with.  I never had any trouble rooting or growing the Pink patella.

Finally last year (2014) I had the opportunity to obtain another small cutting of the ‘White’ from a Swedish grower through an intermediary.  The first two times is started to grow and throw up a new vine, they died just like on my first plant.  I thought here we go again!  This time, the third time was the charm; the vine started to grow again, and finally put on a few leaves and peduncles.  It did however blast numerous small buds, which would never have happened on the ‘Pink’.  My 15 month old plant from cutting finally bloomed for the first time on September 14, 2015.  I have only grown this plant under artificial lighting and in a high humidity grow tent.

I can highly recommend that you give this plant a try if you can find it.  I find that it is not nearly as vigorous as its pink counterpart at least in the early going, but it is well worth the effort.

Hoya patella 'White' on the Left and Hoya patella 'Pink' on the Right.

Hoya patella ‘White’ on the Left and Hoya patella ‘Pink’ on the Right.