Species · genus Hoya · Apocynaceae

Honeyplant

Hoya carnosa (L.fil.) R.Br.

Also known as: Porcelainflower · Waxflower · Common Wax-plant · Waxplant

Growth habit

climbing epiphyte or lithophyte

Native range

China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan

Reference · H. carnosa

Cultivars of H. carnosa

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under H. carnosa yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Hoya carnosa is a climbing epiphyte and lithophyte from subtropical and tropical East Asia, naturally rooting on bark and rock where roots drain fast and dry between rains. Give it a gritty, fast-draining mix and bright indirect light, and water only when the top inch or two of mix is fully dry; its thick, waxy leaves store water, so it tolerates drought far better than sitting wet. Good airflow and a snug pot suit its epiphytic roots.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-18d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 18 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

15–29 °C

Soil mix

Chunky, free-draining epiphyte or orchid-style mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings with a node, rooted in water or mix

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Fragrant star-shaped flower clusters once established; leave old spurs intact

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Non-toxic to cats & dogs

Wax plant — ASPCA lists Hoya carnosa non-toxic to cats and dogs. (Other catalog Hoya remain AI-warned toxic — NOT covered by this species claim.) This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-18d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Honeyplant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.