Hoya undulata

Hoya undulata is a climbing species from Kalimantan, recognized by its leaves with wavy margins and silver or purplish spots on the foliage. In intense light, the leaves may develop reddish or burgundy tones, while the spots are splash, not variegation. Under good growing conditions, the plant may produce pendent umbels with creamy-pink, pubescent, star-shaped flowers and a cream corona. The vines can be trained onto a support. Specimens may show defects on older leaves.

Foliage and growth. The species name refers to the wavy margins of the leaves. The foliage is convex, usually ovate to oblanceolate, dark green, with silver spots that may turn purplish or burgundy. In its natural habitat, the leaves may form domatia, structures inhabited by ants; this adaptation does not imply a symbiosis in indoor cultivation. The coloration and density of the splash pattern naturally vary between leaves and specimens.

Flowers. The inflorescences are pendent. The flowers have a rotate corolla, almost completely divided into star-shaped lobes, creamy-pink and finely pubescent, with a cream corona. Horticultural sources usually describe umbels with few flowers that last for a short time. Flowering depends on the plant's maturity and growing conditions.

Botanical identity and origin. Hoya undulata S.Rahayu & Rodda is an accepted botanical name, published in 2015. The species is native to Borneo (Kalimantan), where it grows as an epiphyte or lithophyte in heath forests within a humid tropical biome. The corona has two hook-shaped lateral appendages, a characteristic also mentioned in Hoya griffithii, a species from mainland Asia. The horticultural comparison with Hoya gunung gading or Hoya bhutanica is not supported by the original publication.

The plant is shipped without flowers. Older leaves show defects.

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, fertilization, propagation, and flowering, read the complete Hoya care guide.