Hoya fungii – fragrant flowers

Hoya fungii is a climbing species native to southern China and Indochina, with large, oval or elliptical foliage and distinct veins. The leaves are leathery, 8–20 cm long, with a rounded base and acute tip. Under good growing conditions, the plant produces umbels of star-shaped, white or pink, fragrant flowers, with a yellow to pink corona and a darker base. The vines can be trained onto a support or left to trail. Commercially, it is also sold under the names wax flower, porcelain flower, or Tears of the Virgin Mary.

Foliage and growth. The species has an epiphytic or lithophytic vine-like habit. The leaves are broad and leathery, with prominent lateral veins, numbering around seven pairs. Botanical descriptions classify the plant as glabrous apart from the inflorescence; not all specimens have fuzzy foliage. New growth can be trained onto a support.

Flowers and fragrance. The flowers appear in extra-axillary umbels. The corolla is usually white, although horticultural sources also note pink shades, depending on light and temperature. The corona is pale yellow to pink, darker at the base. The flowers are fragrant; the intensity and perception of the fragrance may vary throughout the flowering period.

Botanical identity and origin. Hoya fungii Merr. is an accepted botanical name, published in 1934. The species is native from southern China, including Hainan, to Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, where it grows as an epiphyte or lithophyte in a humid tropical biome. The common names listed above are commercial labels for Hoya, not botanical synonyms.

Substrate: use an airy, well-draining mix suitable for epiphytic species. We recommend the professional substrate for Hoya and Anthurium - SG Mix.

For complete recommendations on light, watering, substrate, fertilizing, propagation, and flowering, read the complete Hoya care guide.