I get spots like that on Hoyas, so I don't think it's anything to worry about. But I don't think you have callistrophylla there. Can you post a photo of the top of the leaves?

Denise in Omaha

Thanks, Denise - here's the top of the leaves. I'm not as concerned about the spots as I am about the yellow/brown at the base of the leaves...

I don't want to rain on your parade but I bet if you take a cutting, the stem will be black inside. If I'm wrong, I will be very sorry!

Susan

If your cutting consists of just those two leaves I'm afraid it's prognosis is not good at all. The identification looks correct to me.
This is rot that would have happened during shipping. This is quite common and nothing to worry about in relation to the other cuttings.

Mike

Thanks, y'all - yes, it is just those two leaves. I stuck it in a solo cup with some mix and if it survives I'll just consider it a happy miracle. After all, the price was right...

The price was certainly right for that one... and even though we live in totally different climate zones, and I paid for my plants, it looks exactly like what happened to my calycina, magnifica, finlaysonii and inconspicua - The stems were totally rotten - I could not save a single one.
I put it down to a combination of a ridiculously wet winter, leaving them outside too long into the winter and maybe even some black spot fungus.

I would treat your other plants with a fungicide just in case!

R.I.P., H. callistophylla - I hardly knew ye!

So Asterope and all... about fungicides, insecticides, etc. - any recommendations on decent products? I saw a reference somewhere to Schultz's 3 in 1, and when I looked that up on Amazon, it came up as "Garden Safe Fungicide 3" (insecticide, miticide, fungicide). Have any of you used this, or something else that works well? This product got some pretty crappy reviews, though you don't know whether that's due to "user error" or plants just too far gone, or to a lousy product.

Speaking of Amazon, if anyone can recommend some good books on plant care, I sure could use them. I'm new at this game. Up to this point I've only nurtured my dogs. I think the hoyas are fussier!

Thanks! Off to plan the funeral...

I have a stick nursery and I keep them for at least two summers. One leaf no leaf but if I see white roots I place it in a very small container clear in color, water, fertilize just like the the healthy plants and wait. I have had good things come from there. Call me crazy! Just do not understand why someone bothers to send anyone a dying plant even at no cost. eBay plants have for me been a 100% loss ratio. ~ Mary

Great idea - I'll start a stick nursery too. After all, it's not dead yet, and the roots look OK. Who knows?

I agree that it does look like the leaves are rotting off. But that does sometimes happen from damage that occurs in transit rather than something that was happening before, so I would just cut them off back to the point of healthy stem and hope for the best. It could come back.

Denise in Omaha

For anyone who is new to ordering Hoya cuttings through the mail. There are a few things that can go wrong but they are not the fault of the sellers. When cuttings are packaged up and mailed out in a box or padded envelope they can experience dramatic fluctuations in temperature and humidity while in the mail. High humidity and high temperatures is all that fungi needs to begin attacking a cutting. Perhaps a dip in a fungicide solution would prevent this but not all sellers are going to go to these legnths.
Also fungi are almost all opportunistic organisms although there are some species that are predatory on nematodes or that lure and infect insects.
Because fungal spores are basically everywhere it is far better to fight fungal disease by adopting good cultural practices vs using fungicides unless disease has been diagnosed. A fan running in your grow space will do wonders to keep fungi at bay. For minor fungal infections cinnamon made into a paste with water works well. For serious problems there are chemicals such as Captan available but these are toxic and you should not use them unless you have to.

Mike

Thank you, Mike - I'm learning so much from you. Last night I instituted moving air and cinnamon paste into my hoya care repertoire. As you say, I would definitely prefer not to introduce anything toxic, since I and my two elderly dogs need to live in this space, too!

Lesley

I also meant to mention that I have a little area for my "sickies". I call it sick bay. "Oh, you poor little thing, I guess I'll put you in sick bay!"

=)

Denise in Omaha

Sick bay - I like that! But I can just hear Bones: "Dangit, Jim, I'm a doctor! Not a botanist!"

I had to put H. macrophylla variegata in sick bay this morning. Galloping fungal infection. I carved him up in pieces, repotted, cinnamon pasted the remaining leaves, and now fingers are crossed that some pieces make it. He didn't catch this from H. callistophylla, it just must have been brewing when he got shipped and erupted once he got here.

Sounds like I'm having all kinds of problems, but I have plenty of happy healthy hoyas. Really, I do! I'm also starting to relax about it and realise I can't save everything, if they do end up in sick bay. I just do my best. If I'd wanted pothos ivy, I would have gotten pothos ivy. I do not want pothos ivy... I want HOYA!