Hoya acuta

This is a hoya that is very talked about. Some say acuta is the "correct" name for the hoyas in circulation as som acuta, parasitica, verticillata and some say it should be verticillata... I have now decided to have both descriptions on my website and I will link the different hoyas after the names they had when I got them... Hoya acuta comes from Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

In Sydhoyan no 1 2005 Berit Carlgren wrote an article about acuta-parasitica-verticillata and considering the name confusion (still) this article feels rather up-to-date even though it was written years ago. In the article she writes that Hoya parasitica was published already in 1814 and would then take precedence, but Wallich published it as Ascleipias parasitica which was a "nomen nodum" name. "Nomen nodum" is latin and means "naked name", i e a name without description and is not valid.

Further in the article Berit writes that Hoya acuta (Haworth) was published in 1821. The description was short, but Beskrivningen var kort, but was accepted as valid about ten years before they realized Ascleipias parasitica was a hoya. Hoya verticillata was not published until 1837, but more about that under verticillata...

This hoya seems easiest to grow on a support. The leaves vary from one variety to another, but they are often rather thick and have only few spots. The size can be anything from 4 to 20 cm long and the width vary from 3 to 5-6 cm provided that the ones I have really ARE acuta... If acuta is grown in much sun the leaves tend to get rather yellow and the plant won't look too good, but if you move it it mostly "greens" back some again.

The flowers vary in colour and sometimes in shape, but it could be that I have non-acutas among my acuta... The flowers are all reflexed and the fragrance is often a little spicy. The size is about 1 cm in diameter and you'll find anything from 15-40 flowers in an umbel and they last 3-4 days. Some varieties are more willing to bloom than others...

To view more photos and read about my Hoya acuta (Green), click here:
To view more photos and read about my Hoya acuta (variegata) IML 1578, click here:
To view more photos and read about my Hoya acuta (red), click here:
To view more photos and read about my Hoya acuta (bronze), sold to me as acuta (white) click here:
To view more photos and read about my Hoya acuta var. Hendersonii, click here:
To view photos and read about a wild growing Hoya acuta, click here:

Hoya acuta Haworth