Hoya australis ‘Lisa’

The story of Hoya australis ‘Lisa’

Hoya australis ‘Lisa’ arose as a sport, a spontaneous mutation, of Hoya australis subsp. tenuipes. M. Randal published the cultivar name in 2007. The parent subspecies grows in wet tropical forest from New Guinea to northern Queensland.

What Hoya australis ‘Lisa’ needs to grow well

Keep ‘Lisa’ in bright filtered light, sheltered from intense direct sun, at about 16–24°C. Provide moderate to high humidity and gentle airflow. Its vines can climb a support or trail. Leave living flower stalks attached, and keep the plant in a steady position while buds develop.

A peat-free mix with bark and coarse drainage material should hold some moisture but drain freely. Water when the pot is lighter and the deeper mix is only lightly moist. Soak and drain it fully. With reduced growth, let the mix become fairly dry between waterings without drying the whole root ball.

Apply a light balanced orchid feed, preferably urea-free, about every two weeks during growth, following the label; pause when growth stops. Flush with plain water every few months. When roots fill the pot, choose a new pot only a few centimetres wider. Check whether the fresh mix already contains fertiliser.

Lightly trim weak or crowded growth above a leaf or side shoot when new growth begins. Use a clean blade and wear gloves, as the sap can irritate skin. For water propagation, choose a semi-ripe shoot with a firm base and a tip that is still soft. Take a stem section with nodes and remove its lower leaves. Keep the remaining leaves above the water and developing roots submerged. Once well rooted, transfer to a small pot of airy mix, keeping it lightly moist while it establishes.

What to check when Hoya australis ‘Lisa’ is struggling

• Persistent yellowing or wilting in wet mix: Persistent wetness can damage roots. Drain trapped water and inspect roots if decline continues. If you find a small amount of root rot, use a clean, disinfected tool to cut the soft roots back to firm, healthy tissue. Throw away the rotten roots and old mix. Repot in fresh, airy mix, using a clean pot just large enough for the roots that remain. The pot must have drainage holes. If decay is widespread, save only healthy stem cuttings. Discard the plant if no healthy stems remain, and disinfect your tools afterwards.
• Sudden blackening or leaf drop after cold exposure: Chilling can damage leaves and stems, especially beside cold glass or in a draught. Move the plant to a stable, warmer position. Check the mix before watering; a chilled plant may use water more slowly. Remove only tissue that is clearly dead or decaying.
• Brown tips with a white crust on the pot or mix: Accumulated fertiliser or mineral salts may be involved. Pause feeding and, if the pot drains freely, flush the mix with plenty of plain water and drain fully. Replace heavily encrusted or poorly draining mix. Resume feeding only after growth recovers, within the fertiliser label’s instructions.
• Cottony insects on stems or beneath the leaves: Check beneath the waxy deposits to confirm mealybugs, then isolate the plant. Remove visible insects with a damp swab or tweezers. Inspect sheltered leaf joints, stems, the pot and any support weekly, removing any mealybugs you find until none remain. If mealybugs persist, use a product approved for home use against mealybugs on indoor ornamental plants in your country. Follow the label for how much to use, where to apply it, when to repeat treatment and all safety precautions.

Hoya australis ‘Lisa’ is non-toxic to people and pets

• This plant is non-toxic to people, cats and dogs.
• Chewing a large amount can still cause an upset stomach.
• If a large amount is eaten and symptoms continue, contact a veterinarian or medical professional.

About the name Hoya australis

Hoya honours the English gardener Thomas Hoy. The epithet australis is Latin for southern and refers to the species range.

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

James Traill first described Hoya australis in 1830 in Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London, volume 7, page 28; Robert Brown had proposed the name.