Hoya latifolia ‘Silver’

A silver-leaved Hoya latifolia selection

‘Silver’ is a cultivated form with extensive pale coverage across the broad leaves. Hoya latifolia is a large epiphytic or lithophytic climber native from Myanmar through western Malesia.

Care for broad-leaved epiphytic vines

• Light around the foliage: Bright diffuse light from an east- or west-facing window supports compact growth; screen the plant from hot midday sun. Filter midday sun from the broad silvered foliage.
• Watering: Allow the surface and upper layer to dry, but rewater before the full root mass becomes hard-dry. Avoid letting the root ball become saturated or completely dry while a leaf is expanding.
• Broken silver fields: Broad silver areas remain interrupted by green veins and islands. Give soft new leaves open space to prevent contact marks.
• Root care and humidity: Use an evenly warm position throughout new development. Keep the root zone warm and aerated; ordinary indoor humidity is sufficient.

Common issues with Hoya latifolia ‘Silver’

• A large silver leaf develops a dark rub mark: Contact with the support occurred before the leaf stalk hardened. Upgrade to a rigid broad frame and secure the stem between leaves, leaving the leaf stalk and young blade free. Retain a firm bend; prune the section only if the stem splits or begins to decay.
• Black specks and scratches appear on a new silver leaf: The next leaf is being damaged by mites or thrips before expansion. Separate the plant and wash the affected growth. Apply insecticidal soap to all leaf surfaces as directed, including the nodes and undersides. Check the nodes and leaf undersides after treatment, then repeat only as the product label permits.
• A new silver-marked leaf hardens partly folded and undersized: The tip is being constrained before it can unfold. Shift the runner into open space and secure only the stem below the next node. Retain all sound tip tissue and remove only parts that have died or softened.
• Brown edges appear on broad leaves after repeated feeding: Dissolved salts have built up around roots in a slowly drying pot. Flush the mix with plenty of plain water and discard all runoff. Skip the next feeding and return at a lower concentration when new growth begins.

Hoya latifolia ‘Silver’ has insufficient safety evidence 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 latifolia came about

Hoya honours the English gardener Thomas Hoy. Latifolia combines Latin latus, broad, with folium, leaf, and describes the species’ broad leaf blades.

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

George Don first described Hoya latifolia in 1837 in A General History of the Dichlamydeous Plants, volume 4, page 127.