Hoya benitotanii Kloppenburg

This hoya comes from the Philippines and just like Hoya bicknellii it was collected by David Bicknell in Matutinao, Badian, Cebu and it was published in 2010. The hoya in circulation has been sold as Hoya gigantanganensis for several years, but when they discovered it didn't match the scientific description it was then published as Hoya benitotanii. It's named after Benito Tan (head of the herbarium at Singapore Botanical Garden).

This is definately a hoya best grown on a support. It can need some help to stay on its support, but that's not a problem since it grows quite slowly. Cuttings can take some time before they start growing and then it sure don't grow too fast... The shiny light green leaves are 7-14 cm long, 3-5 cm wide and you often see the veins as lighter green than the leaves. New leaves are (just like bicknellii) slightly rusty red, but more in spots after what I have seen, and then become "just" lovely green!

The flowers are rolled back, about 8 mm, have light yellow corolla and even lighter corona. The yellow colour doesn't seem as "clear" as on bicknellii, but then it's hard to determine from just seing both hoyas flowers on photo. In pictures I've seen about 20 flowers in an umbel and the fragrance is described as "the sweetest mix of Lily of the Valley and Lilacs". I'm really looking forward to see if my slow growing plant ever will please me with flowers so that I also get to enjoy the wonderful fragrance... oh well, dreaming is allowed. The flowers last about a week.