Hoya 'Sunrise'

Selected from a Hawaiian cross

Hoya ‘Sunrise’ was selected from seedlings of a deliberate cross between Hoya lacunosa and Hoya obscura. Michael Miyashiro made the hand pollination in Honolulu in 1992, using Hoya lacunosa as the seed parent. Carol Noel named and established the cultivar in 2004.

The parent species link lowland and montane tropical forests. Hoya lacunosa ranges from southern Myanmar through western and central Malesia, often in lowland and hill forest near rivers. Hoya obscura comes from Borneo and the Philippines, from primary ridges into mossy forest at roughly 100–1,000 m. ‘Sunrise’ brings these two forest lineages together in a cultivar raised in Hawai‘i.

Care for fine-stemmed epiphytic vines

• Light: Bright filtered light brings out the visible veins and red-yellow bronzing. Introduce stronger light gradually: excessive exposure can curl, bleach or scorch the leaves, and deep colour is not a reason to keep increasing the intensity.
• Water: Check the hanging pot before it becomes very light. If the upper third to half is dry, water the root ball thoroughly.
• Temperature and humidity: During active growth, give it stable warmth, moderate to high humidity and moving air. Protect it from frost, cold draughts and stagnant saturated air.
• Root care, watering and feeding: Combine small bark with perlite or pumice and coir or another moisture-holding component so the mix remains airy but does not dry abruptly. Feed lightly while new stems and leaves are developing; there is no need for a high-phosphorus flowering fertiliser.
• Root care and leaf care: Lay a short section across damp perlite and fine bark so one or two nodes touch the medium, or root it by pinning an attached stem in place. Seedlings may vary and produce genetically distinct hybrids rather than copies of the parent plant.

When Hoya ‘Sunrise’ shows signs of stress

• Red or yellow bronzing: Warm bronzing and visible dark veins are normal responses to bright light. Bleached patches, crisp margins, deep purple-black tissue or tightly curled leaves indicate excessive exposure, heat or dehydration. Reduce the intensity and restore even root moisture without leaving the mix wet.
• A soft stem base: Soft, dark tissue where the stem enters wet mix signals advancing decay. Remove affected tissue, restore air around the roots and save a firm healthy node if the damage continues upward.
• Hidden pests: Trailing growth can hide mealybugs, mites and thrips. Check the nodes and leaf undersides for cottony deposits, sticky residue, fine speckling, webbing or twisted tips. Move the plant away from others, remove badly infested growth and wipe away visible colonies. Treat the tight nodes and leaf undersides with a product suitable for the pest, then check these hiding places again as eggs hatch. Fixed brown bumps and sticky leaves indicate scale. A wipeable black coating is sooty mould fed by the insects’ sticky waste; it clears once the pests are controlled.
• Buds that stop developing: Moving or turning the plant, letting it dry severely or keeping the roots saturated can cause bud drop. Stabilise light and watering while buds mature. Keep the flower spurs after a failed cluster because they may bloom again.

Pet safety for Hoya 'Sunrise' is unconfirmed

• No exact-species, exact-hybrid, verified-synonym or explicitly broad cat-and-dog safety evidence was established.
• Do not market this plant as pet-friendly; keep it out of reach until reliable applicable evidence is available.

Named for the English gardener Thomas Hoy

Hoya honours the English gardener Thomas Hoy.