Hoya 'Rosita'

Hoya 'Rosita' is a horticultural hybrid, not a botanical species. It is valued for its elongated foliage with dark margins and for the red or burgundy shades its leaves can develop in bright but filtered light. The vines branch and can remain trailing or be trained onto a support. The flowers are small, deep red, and fragrant. The commonly cited commercial parentage is Hoya wayetii x Hoya tsangii.

Name and identification. The selling name is Hoya 'Rosita'. Some horticultural sources indicate Hoya wayetii x Hoya sp. aff. burtoniae, material also encountered under collection number DS-70. The parentage is horticultural information, not a formally recorded botanical fact.

Foliage and growth habit. The leaves are glossy, fleshy, elongated, and slightly pointed. The margins frequently darken, a characteristic associated with Hoya wayetii. In bright light, protected from scorching sun, the foliage can change from green to red, burgundy, or coppery. Color varies depending on the season, light, and growing conditions. The vines grow well, branch, and trail; they climb if provided with support. Shoot length varies from one specimen to another.

Flowers and fragrance. The flowers are relatively small, grouped in umbels, and deep red. They are fragrant. Fragrance intensity may vary. Flowering depends on the plant's maturity and growing conditions.

Other common names for Hoya include wax plant, porcelain flower, and Our Lady's tears. These are commercial labels, not botanical synonyms for the hybrid.

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

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