skip to main content

Hoya australis flowers --- can you help me ID? ssp. australis or

13 years ago

This was my first hoya from just a short 12 months ago, so I am thrilled by the flowers!!!! ... now I'm just wondering about the variety. I bought it as Hoya australis ssp. australis, but looked on www.myhoyas.com and I think that the flowers look much more like Hoya australis ssp. tenuipes. I'd love to hear all of your thoughts. If you need leaf pics let me know.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

kellyknits
13 years ago
Was reading the myhoyas.com site and it sounds like the answer is going to be in the leaves! Says australis ssp australis has pubescent leaves and australis ssp tenuipes has smooth leaves.

Beautiful flowers! Feel free to post leaf and plant photos! I love looking at pictures!

Kelly
puglvr1
13 years ago
Its absolutely Beautiful!! I'm no expert when it comes to Iding most hoyas...I do have the 'fuzzy leaf' australis and I thought I read here that mine is H. australis ssp. australis( I think it used to be called H. keysii) I think the tenuipes has the smooth leaves? I will let others that have more experience chime in. I just wanted to comment how pretty the blooms are...Congrats! I'm still waiting for mine to bloom :o(...thanks for the picture!
Related Discussions
HAVE: Hoya camphorifolia cuttings, Hoya australis plants + more
Q
Comments (12)
ha ha Jan I just emailed you about Krimson Queen!!! lol Do you guys want me to do any trade transporting? I am meeting Jan at lunch Thursday and also going to Ricky's so i can take Helen,s. Here's my lil Krimson Queen! The pink edges don't come thru in the photos. Either of you want some of this one. I am sure it's pretty common. It seems so much happier out under the pool screen than in my bedroom window. I got this 1/3 this size a couple yrs ago from Lindaleaf. BTW Helen, You want some cuttings of that coral crown behind the Krimson Queen? It's getting kind of tall and I might as well start a few cuttings of it for Ricky's.
...See More
Finally! Australis flowers!
Q
Comments (9)
Shanna, that should give you plenty of room to spread out! Mine's small - only about 7' deep and 16' long. If it was any bigger, though, I'd have more plants than I can manage to take care of, so I'm not complaining... Paula, I grow two different ssp. of australis. Ssp. tenuipes has smooth oval leaves that are bronze when new, turning light green as they age... This one is a real climber... And the other one is ssp. sana, has fuzzy leaves that are a little pointier, grows more bushy, some long vines that more hang down than twining and climbing and the stems are stiffer... My understanding is that all the australis ssp. have about the same flowers. I've had ssp. sana for many, many years and haven't yet gotten flowers. In fact, I'm off to the GH to pull it off the top shelf and see if (by chance...) it might be gearing up to bloom, too! Denise in Omaha
...See More
This was sent to me as australis ssp. tenuipes. Any ideas?
Q
Comments (6)
I have an article by Foster and Liddle where the full descriptions of all Hoya australis subspecies are included plus the newest publication of Hoya australis subsp melanesica. There are differences between most subspecies that make them pretty easy to tell apart when you sit down and compare them but not all plants share all the characteristics and this causes a grey area. For example the bronze new growth or absence of it is not enough alone to identify a plant. Once your plant has developed some nice leaves that don't have the irregular margins and you can take some measurements we would have a much better chance of figuring out just what you have. The irregular leaf shape can be caused by a young leaf being damaged, insect damage or perhaps uneven watering while the leaf is developing. Whatever cause the problem will work itself out and your plant should start putting out much more uniform leaves. Are the backs of the leaves sparsely hairy as well as the margins? Mike
...See More
Hoya Australis questions...
Q
Comments (10)
Hey Patrick, You HAVE to learn how to post pictures, no questions asked. You brought it on yourself BTW. All this talk about your collection leaves way too much for our imaginations. LOL. Like Denise said, getting the pictures on your computer is the easiest part. Once you connect the camera to the computer, it automatically directs you where you need to go, asks you what you want to do, does what you ask it to do. And since Denise threw in a commercial blurb, here's another one. . . so easy a caveman can do it. . . And. . . you can play around with it in the privacy of your own home, no one has to see the end result until you want them to. . . If my mom can do it, trust me. . . you can do it too. To add to your original question, even tho it sounds like you got the mystery solved, I have australis ssp. australis and ssp. tenuipes (both from Denise. . thanks :) and my ssp. tenuipes gets the bronze color on new growth, and lots of it. It doesn't get direct light, just bright indirect. I grow it according to Denise's recommendation, which is "doesn't necessarily like bright light". With that being said, I'm wondering if you are giving it too much light, which in this case is washing it out, whereas the leaves may be bronze as a benefit of less light. Just a thought. Maid~
...See More
cpawl
13 years ago
I feel from what I can see of the leaves it looks like australis ssp. tenuipes.The flowers are one my favorites.I look forward for mine to flower.

Cindy
greedygh0st
13 years ago
I agree with Kelly's assessment that it is tenuipes. According to CB, the main differences are:

Hoya australis subsp. australis has smaller leaves, which are covered on both sides with "fuzz."

Hoya australis subsp. tenuipes has larger shiny, completely bald leaves.

Hoya australis subsp. australis flowers in autumn in US, when it condescends to bloom at all, which is rarely.

Hoya australis subsp. tenuipes blooms from very early spring until very early summer in the US and it blooms profusely.

The original article is below. Watch out, it's a bit peppery! ^_^

Here is a link that might be useful: Australis ssp. australis vs Australis ssp. tenuipes
greedygh0st
13 years ago
Edit: I guess we don't know about your leaves yet, so I guess I was just agreeing with Kelly about the distinguishing characteristics, not the verdict. >_
gennykins
13 years ago
Lovely! What kind of light do you grow it in?

Lisa
lightning96
Original Author
13 years ago
The leaves are smooth, I definitely would not say that they are fuzzy. I will post a pic as soon as I have a chance! It is growing in an east window that receives several good hours of bright morning sun. I am leaning towards Hoya australis ssp. tenuipes based on other photos online that I have seen, but still not 100% sure.
lightning96
Original Author
13 years ago
Here are pics of the leaves:
puglvr1
13 years ago
Yup...looks like tenuipes to me...smooth leaves.

Here's mine that I believe is the H. australis ssp. australis with the fuzzy leaves...
{{gwi:945304}}
lightning96
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow, those pictures definitely contrast with each other. The ssp. australis really is fuzzy! I guess my hoya is ssp. tenuipes after all. Interesting!
greedygh0st
13 years ago
It may be different than you were expecting, but at least you have the one that blooms often! ^_^
lightning96
Original Author
13 years ago
greedyghost: Yes, you are right! And thanks for posting the link above, too. After reading that I also thought that mine is Hoya australis ssp. tenuipes, the link was very clear about the difference.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Oh, Deer! 10 Native Flowers That Stand Up to the Herds

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Keeping a garden amid hungry deer can be hard, but these plants should fare well

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Deer-Resistant Native Flowers to Plant This Fall

Learn about natives that embrace some kinds of wildlife but resist grazing deer

NATIVE PLANTS Plant These Fall-Flowering Natives in Early Summer for Pollinator Love

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

These 3 groups of plants will support masses of beneficial insects come autumn

FLOWERS 10 Spring Wildflowers for the Central Plains

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

These blooming native perennials thrive in dry locations and help welcome early-season pollinators

GARDENING GUIDES Great Native Plant: Baptisia

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Bring beneficial bee pollinators with this drought-tolerant perennial that looks like a shrub and acts like a flower

LANDSCAPE DESIGN How to Design a Meadow Garden Everyone Will Love

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Petite grasses or sedges plus flowers make for a manageable landscape that welcomes wildlife

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES 7 Native Wildflowers to Make You an Awesome Butterfly Host

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Offer the leaves of these and you’ll get more butterflies than with flower nectar alone

PLANTING IDEAS Garden Design for Wildlife and Less Work

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Looking to nature for inspiration can invigorate our suburban landscapes

GARDENING GUIDES Get Year-Round Good Looks With Matrix Planting in Your Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Any garden — from 100 square feet to 10,000 square feet — can apply this low-maintenance, sustainable design method

GARDENING GUIDES 5 Great Plants for Borders and Screens

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Get the effects of a shrub but in less time — and drawing more winged pollinators — with these herbaceous perennials

Sponsored

Fresh Pointe Studio

4 Reviews

Industry Leading Interior Designers & Decorators | Delaware County, OH