Carolyn: I don't think there's anything anyone can do to keep a plant from doing what it wants to do naturally. I have a very old Hoya carnosa 'Rubra' (A/K/A Krimson Princess): Krimson Princess Hoya (Hoya carnosa 'Rubra') originally was totally variegated, but over the years it reverted to the solid green.

It is kind of a shame, isn't it? I suppose one way of looking at it is that the plant must be happy to want to do what it does naturally.

I recently received a cutting from what I believe is a hoya compacta. I read online that you can propagate it by just placing it in water to get the roots going and then move it to soil. Is this the best method? It is a special plant to me as it is from my great aunt and I just want to make sure I'm treating it well!

I have a Hoya compacta and this summer during a storm a limb was broken off,i put it in soil keeping it damp and it rooted just fine didn't even loose any leaves.I've never tried it in water so i can't say.I also rooted a Hoya polyneura in soil.


This is my H.compacta thought i had a picture of the rooted piece but i will have to take one tomorrow to show you


That's just my experience you may be able to root them in water as well i just have never done it,soil is just my way not necessarily the right way!!!

GOOD LUCK

I've heard others say they find it easy rooting Hoya's in water but for me it's never worked. The cuttings always end up rotting, or they grow those thin watery roots and once potted up never seem to acclimate and grow a good strong root system. So, nowadays I pot up my cuttings just like any other plant. I use a very well draining potting medium that consists of potting soil and a lot of orchid bark mix. It makes for a chunky, fast draining mix but that's what works best for my growing conditions and I don't have to worry about rot from over watering or too much rain etc.

I used to have two very large Hoya Compacta (Hindu Rope) plant but lost them to a winter freeze a couple of years ago. It's not a particularly favorite Hoya because with all those twists and crevices, the HIndu Rope was a mealybug magnet during the summer months. I remember having to sit for an hour or more with q-tips and isopropyl alcohol trying to remove those little creepy crawlies!

Here's the database link to the Hindu Rope Hoya: Hindu Rope Hoya (Hoya carnosa 'Compacta')

Great to know, everyone! Thanks! I'll look into moving it to some good soil instead!

I've been looking for references for Hoya compacta. Kew WCSPF references it as unresolved on the Plant List. Plant List

IPNI notes it as being published in 1990 by C.M. Burton as a cultivated plant. IPNI

EOL notes a pressed specimen being collected by C. Burton in Panama. EOL

None of the other Taxon databases I have checked list species Hoya compacta. The RHS DB notes Hoya carnosa 'Compacta' as a cultivar. RHS.

Are all Hoya "Compacta", Hoya carnosa species? Are they hybrids? Any help appreciated.

Edited: I'm going to post this in the DB forum.

I'm not real familiar with Hoya plants, I just enjoy growing them. I wish AlohaHoya (Carol) would pop in here. She has grown Hoya's for a long time and has been a mentor to many of us and has always been most generous with sharing her knowledge of these wonderful plants.

I didn't know Hoya had a species compacta. I've always thought it was a carnosa cultivar (Hoya carnosa 'Compacta') also known as Hindu Rope, Rope Hoya etc. I've heard that there are thousands of carnosa cultivars out there and it gets very confusing. Of the ones called "Hindu Rope" (both solid green and variegated foliage) that I've seen for sale over the years were listed as:

Hoya carnosa 'Compacta' (also sold/known as "Hindu Rope")
Hoya carnosa 'Compacta variegata' (also known as" Variegated Hindu Rope")
Hoya carnosa 'Compacta Mauna Loa' (also known as" Reverse variegated Hindu Rope")
Hoya carnosa 'Compacta Krinkle 8'
Hoya carnosa 'Compacta Krinkle Kurl'

Thanks Lin. That helps.

We can always drop AlohaHoya a note....

Evan, don't go by what I say. LOL, I am very challenged when it comes to plant genus and species! I've made a few mistakes with database entries that had to be corrected.

I am so appreciative of the hard work and effort that you and the other moderators put forth to make our database the best ever!! THANK YOU!

hee hee ... There you are Miss Carol! It's so good to see your smiling face and I'm so glad you saw this thread! Maybe you can help Evan with those entries in the database? I totally respect and trust your judgement when it comes to Hoya's!

OOOOOOOOOOOps...just saw this.... I have been MIA for a while.

Well...I just don't know about H. compacta. It seems to me that Christine Burton published it as a species hoya but I'm not sure about that. You might check out her PS THE HOYAN and if/when you can cut thru the bulls#!! there might be some information. I've always felt it was just an aberration of H. carnosa.

Spring is spronging here and I'm getting lots of blooms... will try to load them in the Database....

Aloha

Carol, thanks for that lead to Christine Burton's PS THE HOYAN. I learned H. compacta was the second Hoya she bought, 70 or so years ago and she insists it's the accepted species name. Given the current lack of acceptance by the taxonomic DB's does noting H. carnosa as the accepted species name and H. compacta 'cv.' as an Also sold as name seem like a reasonable compromise to everyone?

Yes...except...IF H. compacta has been accepted by the Code of International Nomenclature...then it is H. compacta, no matter what anyone else things. It is only her peers in Taxonomy that would be able to challenge. Let me find out more about it...OK. I'll talk to Ted Green...he's really very honest and knowledgable about these things.....

Thanks Carol, that would be very helpful.

Ted Green sent me on to the Royal Horticultural Society website (Kew Gardens)...here's the link http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplan... It seems to be a H. carnosa. Good. That makes me happy!

Thanks Carol.

I've been lurking here .... and it makes me happy also to see that it is indeed a carnosa!

Does the genus entry data for Hoya look OK for a parent plant entry?

This data is automatically copied to all existing and new Hoya entries.