Besides the lack of pubescence, and the much slower growth habit of the dark flowered H. stenaokei clone, here are the few differences that a hobbyist like me can spot: The dark version has slightly larger flowers, drips more nectar, slightly different looking coronas, and seems more floriferous then NS12-222. Below the dark form of Hoya stenaokei:
Finally after about 1 year, both plants put on their first peduncle and I was lucky enough to get to see them flower at the same time. Here is a comparison photo of both plants in their first flowering about a year ago. Notice the shear difference in the size of the plants with the dark form on the left having about one third the mass of Nathalie’s clone on the right. Both plants were grown identically using coconut husk chips as the medium.
I did not even know for sure if the glabrous leafed cutting was really stenaokei, or not and I was prepared for a long wait. Both clones rooted pretty rapidly, but it took quite some time before any new growth appeared. Eventually both types started growing with Nathalie’s clone growing much more rapidly, putting on three new leaves for every one leaf that the glabrous clone put on. Below Hoya stenaokei Dark Form:
I received various chopped up barely rooted cuttings of plants labeled Hoya stenaokei in May of 2022 from Indonesia in an Etsy transaction. Two of them had pubescent leaves and one had glabrous leaves. I potted them up, put them in my warm humid grow tent and anxiously awaited signs of growth.
As near as I can discern from a little online research, the dark flowered form of Hoya stenaokei was discovered on a 2018/2019 expedition to a low land primary forest (Timika Forest) in Arso Keerom, Papua Province, West Indonesia. Below the flowers of both clones of Hoya stenaokei with Nathalie Simonsson’s 2011 discovery (NS12-222) on the left and the dark form from 2018/2019 on the right:
My massive Hoya stenaokei (NS12-222) has started a new phase of flowering. There are buds all over the plant here are the first of the new crop to open. Photos of the plant don’t really do it justice. Tomorrow we begin our look at the dark flowered clone.
I don’t have much more to say about Hoya cumingiana (Albo Outer Variegated), other than it is very easy to grow, and quick flowering. I love the look of the variegated foliage much more than I thought that I would, and can highly recommend the plant. It seems to be readily available for very reasonable prices so I can heartily recommend picking one up!
Before I got this plant to flower, I lost a few leaves and others were stunted. I suspected mite damage of some kind and sprayed a few times with PureCrop 1, and the plant greatly improved and flowered soon after.
I like the bone white corollas of this wonderful looking plant.
The regular version of this plant has much more highly scented flowers than the variegated version. Below more flowers open:
