Hoya peninsularis comes from the jungles of Perak, Malaysia.  There are 13 states in Malaysia; Perak is the fourth largest one. Temperature is fairly constant, that is, from 23 °C to 33 °C, with humidity often more than 82.3 per cent. Annual rainfall measures at 3,218 mm. Hoya sp. SR-2009-003 and Hoya sp. EPC-966 are the two accession numbers for this plant.  It has been in the trade under those numbers for some time, but on October 23, 2020 the plant was published as Hoya peninsularis It also seems to be available in a yellow corona and red corona clone.  I have the red corona.

I received the Hoya in a trade from a grower in North Carolina in 2015.  I rooted it, and the plant did poorly from the start. After a year, it might have put on one new leaf, but that was about it.  I pulled the plant out of the pot in mid 2016 and the roots were rotten, as is usually the case with a poorly performing Hoya.  After discovering root rot, I took cuttings and started the plant over again using a series of net pots to help aid in when to water. About one year after starting the plant over I spotted a peduncle.

This is a plant where a peduncle does not necessarily mean quick blooms.  Probably around eight sets of buds blasted before I could bring any to term and the first set of flowers were so weak that they barely opened and fell off. After fooling around with this plant for at least 3 years, I finally got a decent set of blooms out of it, and then it started putting on peduncles and flowering like crazy.  This was not necessarily a good thing as this was a plant that was trying to survive by producing flowers but actually was near death.

Upon closer inspection of the plant, I could see that the leaves lacked turgor, and were almost limp.  I pulled it out of the pot and the roots were completely rotten once again.  This time I took several cuttings which are now rooting in water.  I’m sure that I will be able to save the plant, and this time it will not go back into my amended soil mix.  I will be looking for something with far less water holding capacity as this plant is incredibly susceptible to root rot!

This is a great plant with the most photogenic of flowers but is not a Hoya for beginners.  It seems very demanding and the roots rot easily so I can’t really recommend it except for those up for a challenge.