Hoya lacunosa ‘Bruno Tricolor’

A tricolour form of Hoya lacunosa

‘Bruno Tricolor’ is a cultivated form with green, cream and pink foliage. Hoya lacunosa is a small-leaved epiphyte native from southern Myanmar through western and central Malesia.

Care for supported epiphytic vines

• Trailing growth: Shape the runner gently during soft growth and avoid bending it once firm. Give hardened runners a wide arc and avoid tight bends.
• Placement: Maintain bright light and filter the midday sun. Give the green tissue bright filtered light while shielding the cream and mint sections from window heat.
• Watering and root mix: Water when the surface has dried but the small root ball is not yet dry throughout. Fine stems respond poorly to recurring deep drought.
• Airflow: Maintain even warmth without trapping humid air around the vine. Provide warmth without directing heater airflow across the leaves.
• Feeding: Provide light complete nutrition while new roots, stems or leaves are developing. Feed the variegated vine less often whenever growth pauses.

Common issues with Hoya lacunosa ‘Bruno Tricolor’

• The foliage softens even though the pot has not dried: Too much wet substrate surrounds the established root system. Lift the plant from the pot, trim brown or mushy roots, and place the remaining firm roots in fresh airy, free-draining mix inside a snug container. Water the new mix thoroughly once, empty all runoff, and wait for the upper layer to dry before the next watering. If stem tissue turns soft or dark, remove a healthy node cutting straight away.
• A tan patch forms in the cream or mint tissue beside the window: The pale tissue overheated or dehydrated sooner because it contains less chlorophyll. Shift it to bright filtered light and water only after the upper mix dries. Retain every firm green section. Use clean scissors only on fully dry margins, leaving a narrow strip of dead tissue to avoid cutting into living variegated areas. Keep the variegated leaf while the damaged area stays dry and firm; remove it if the patch becomes moist, soft or rapidly larger.
• Miniature cream-and-pink leaves emerge twisted and scarred: Sap-feeding mites or thrips are distorting the leaf before it unfolds. Isolate the plant, wash the newest small variegated leaves, and apply insecticidal soap to both surfaces as directed. Inspect the plant after treatment and repeat only as the label permits while live pests remain.
• Young leaves remain mostly green: Cream and mint patterning, followed by pink new growth, may develop only on later, better-established shoots. A firm, clean green leaf can remain on the plant. A change in texture or size signals genuine tissue damage.

Hoya lacunosa ‘Bruno Tricolor’ has no confirmed safety classification

• 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 did Hoya lacunosa get its name?

Hoya honours the English gardener Thomas Hoy. Lacunosa means pitted or furrowed and refers to the flower structure.

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

Carl Ludwig Blume first described Hoya lacunosa in 1827 in Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indië, page 1063.