Hoya nicholsoniae

From New Guinea into the south-western Pacific: Hoya nicholsoniae

Hoya nicholsoniae is native from New Guinea into the south-western Pacific, including Queensland, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Samoa. It grows as a climber in wet tropical habitats.

Care for waxy-leaved epiphytes

• Light: Choose a bright position with softly diffused light. Stronger diffused light may intensify bronze or red colouring.
• Watering and roots: Rewet the whole pot once the upper layer is dry. Avoid both constant dampness and an extended bone-dry period.
• Leaf colour: Red or bronze tones can develop in brighter light. They are normal when the tissue stays firm and unmarked.
• Support: Direct the growing tip towards a firm support early. A rigid support keeps soft new leaves from folding against nearby stems when the pot is handled.
• Temperature and airflow: Keep the plant away from cold glass, radiators and hot vents, and avoid moving it repeatedly between rooms with different temperatures.

Common issues with Hoya nicholsoniae

• Older leaves yellow even though the root ball is still wet: The container is too large or the root zone is staying wet for too long. Unpot it, remove brown or mushy roots and repot the firm root system in fresh airy, free-draining mix using a snug container. Water the fresh mix once, let it drain completely and wait until the upper layer dries before watering again. If softness or blackening reaches the stem, take a firm green node cutting immediately.
• Leaf tissue nearest the glass fades and then dries: The plant received stronger direct sun before the leaf had time to acclimate. Move the plant farther from hot glass and keep the damaged leaf. Reintroduce direct morning light in short steps only after new growth is firm.
• Sticky nodes appear beside deformed new foliage: Scale, mealybugs or mites may be feeding around the soft tip. Move the plant away from the collection, rinse both leaf surfaces and wipe insects from the nodes before treatment. After testing one leaf, apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil exactly as the label directs, including the permitted interval before another application.
• Leaf margins brown after several fertiliser applications: Repeated feeding in a slowly drying pot has concentrated soluble salts at the root tips. Flush the mix thoroughly with plain water and empty the saucer. Skip the next feeding, then use a weaker solution once a new root or leaf begins to grow.

Hoya nicholsoniae has unconfirmed toxicity for people and pets

• Its toxicity to humans, cats and dogs has not been reliably established.
• There is not enough dependable safety information to identify a toxin or confirm that this exact plant is non-toxic.
• Even without a confirmed toxin, chewing plant material may cause mouth irritationor stomach upset. Contact a veterinarian for pet symptoms or a medical professional for human symptoms, especially if they persist.

How the name Hoya nicholsoniae came about

Hoya honours the English gardener Thomas Hoy. The epithet nicholsoniae honours the British horticulturist George Nicholson.

Robert Brown established the genus Hoya in 1810 in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae, page 459.

Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller first described Hoya nicholsoniae in 1866 in Fragm, volume 5, page 159.