Hoya krohniana 'Super Silver'

A heavily silvered Hoya krohniana

‘Super Silver’ is a cultivated form with extensive pale coverage. The underlying Hoya krohniana is a small-leaved trailing epiphyte native to the Philippines.

Household conditions for epiphytic vine care

• Placement: Give it strong indirect light through most of the day. Keep soft small thick heart-shaped leaves away from concentrated heat, as the extensively silvered surface marks quickly.
• Watering and root mix: Wait for a dry surface, then wet the entire root zone in one thorough pass. Check the mix beneath dense trailing stems because the surface view can misrepresent moisture.
• Temperature: Use a position where the roots avoid repeated warm-to-cool swings. A cold draught can stop fine new growth abruptly.
• Root care and watering: Use small, regular doses and avoid strong occasional applications. Small containers accumulate salts quickly, so rinse the mix with plain water periodically.
• Near-solid silver: Most of each leaf is pale, with green retained as veins or islands. Protect the light surface from hot direct sun.

Common issues with Hoya krohniana ‘Super Silver’

• One side of the plant wilts while the opposite side remains wet: The substrate has separated into compact wet zones and coarse dry zones. Renew the root zone with an even blend of bark and mineral particles. Water in slow passes around the compact pot until runoff is even, then empty the saucer. Discard roots that are dark, hollow or sour and retain only sound tissue.
• One exposed section of the small dark-stemmed leaves turns papery: The pale or silver tissue overheated even though the rest of the leaf remained firm. Filter the hottest light and water after the upper mix dries. Acclimate the next leaf gradually.
• Tiny silver leaves emerge twisted with dark specks: The tender enclosed tissue is being scarred by thrips. Isolate the pot, clean both leaf surfaces and trim only heavily damaged growing points. Test the soap on one leaf, follow the label for any further treatment, and place a blue sticky trap for flying adults.
• Several tiny leaves drop after the pot dries hard: The fine roots and thin runners dehydrated before the dense foliage began to wrinkle. Rewet the pot slowly in two passes, drain it fully and water a little sooner next time. Keep firm green stems and remove only dry or hollow sections.

Hoya krohniana ‘Super Silver’ 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.

Who first published Hoya krohniana, and what does the name mean?

Hoya honours the English gardener Thomas Hoy. The epithet krohniana honours the Krohn family connected with the original cultivated material.

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

Robert Dale Kloppenburg and Monina V. Siar first described Hoya krohniana in 2009 in Fraterna, volume 22, issue 4, page 9.