Hoya sp. MT-02 came to me as a cutting from Julie Kennedy in the UK. This plant is endemic to the Philippines. I Knew nothing about this plant until it flowered and I asked Julie if she could tell me anything. She contacted Torill Nyhuus who supplied her with the plant. She said that it was given to Nathalie Simonsson by May Tolentino in the Philippines, hence the MT in the accession number. Hoya sp. MT-02 was not a hard Hoya to grow. I potted it up in my regular mix back 2013, and transplanted it a few times over time. The mystifying part of the plant is why year after year it would never put on a peduncle. I tried various fertilizing regimes over the years, moved the plant from place to place giving it variously different micro climates. I had it outside in the greenhouse and directly outdoors, but seemingly nothing would induce this plant to form a peduncle.

After five plus years of growing Hoya sp. MT-02 without getting a peduncle, I started watering the plant with reverse osmosis water, which takes out all of the water hardness, and makes it as close to rain water as you can get. One day while tending the plants in the grow-tent I moved a vine and looked at Hoya sp. MT-02, and I almost fell over when I noticed a peduncle that was not only growing, but budding up. At first I did not believe that the peduncle even belonged to the plant as I was resigned to never flowering this Hoya, but after following the vine 3 times, I finally realized it really belonged to MT-02! The peduncle and buds grew strongly and it was no time at all before the buds opened up with the most amazingly strong butterscotch fragrance. The flowers were quite large for Acanthostemma Section Hoyas. These are Hoyas primarily found in the Philippines and all have revolute flowers with examples being DS-70, Hoya davidcummingii, Hoya kentiana, Hoya memoria, and Hoya sigillatis.

Hoya sp. MT-02 first flowered in January 2019 and has since become a blooming machine. At one point I had five peduncles in flower and two others in bud. This is just crazy, and it is has two possible causes. One the plant had to be five years old in order to flower, or it is the RO water; I’m betting on the water. I have to say that I really like this Hoya a lot! With its large butterscotch scented blooms, and its easy growing characteristics, it makes a phenomenal houseplant. Water it with rain water, and I’m sure you won’t have to wait almost six years for flowers!