Canary flora > Exotic and ornamental
Hoya carnosa
Hoya carnosa R. Br.
Wax Plant, Wax Flower, Porcelain Flower
Very vigorous vine, with long branches up to more than 5 m long, hanging
or climbing, if supported with stakes, thick, woody, voluble, with
aerial rootlets and covered with a thin greyish-brown bark.
The leaves, very fleshy, shiny, dark green and up to 8 cm long, are simple, alternate, short and thickly petiolate, ovate to lanceolate in outline, pointed at the apex and entire at the edges.
The leaves, very fleshy, shiny, dark green and up to 8 cm long, are simple, alternate, short and thickly petiolate, ovate to lanceolate in outline, pointed at the apex and entire at the edges.
Its small, delicate flowers, about 1-2 cm in diameter, stellate in shape
and waxy in consistency, are grouped in large inflorescences up to more
than 8 cm in diameter, forming a beautiful umbel reminiscent of a
celestial dome on a starry night.
Each flower has a whitish colouring, which turns pink with time, around a deep red centre, and is covered with tiny hairs that give them a shiny and diffuse appearance. They are supported by an axillary woody spur about 2 cm long.
They last about a week, and produce a large quantity of sweet, mildly scented nectar.
Each flower has a whitish colouring, which turns pink with time, around a deep red centre, and is covered with tiny hairs that give them a shiny and diffuse appearance. They are supported by an axillary woody spur about 2 cm long.
They last about a week, and produce a large quantity of sweet, mildly scented nectar.
This unique species comes from Australia and Southeast Asia, having been
introduced to the Canary Islands as an ornamental plant. It is
relatively common in gardens in the middle and lower areas of the
islands, and can also be grown in bright indoor areas.
It flowers from mid-spring until well into autumn.
It flowers from mid-spring until well into autumn.
