What do Wax Flowers Look Like?
Wax flowers, also known as hoya flowers, are tropical, ornamental plants that bear star shaped flowers that are very fragrant. There are over 200 species of these perennial evergreens. Hoya plants belong to the Asclepiad family.
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History
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In the 18th century, the Duke of Northumberland had a favored gardener named Thomas Hoy. The hoya plant, specifically the Hoya carnosa was named after him by botanist Robert Brown who originally classified the plant.
Foliage
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Leaves can be small such as in the Hoya cummingiana, long and slender like the Hoya kentiana or curly and close to the vine as in the rope hoya or Hindu hoya. Leaf colors vary from green to green mixed with white or pink.
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Flowers
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The star shaped flowers come in shades of cream, purple, pink and white and are in half globe shaped clusters. In some species the flowers are two toned as in the Hoya kerrii which has dark pink centers surrounded by white.
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The Hoya carnosa is the most well known of the Hoya plants. It is also known as "Grandma's old fashioned wax plant" and has tri-colored leaves that are mottled greens, pinks and white. The flowers are pale pink with dark pink centers.
Uses
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These evergreen perennials tolerate heat and humidity well and make excellent house plants as well as showy, fragrant shrubbery. They are well suited for trellises and ornamental hanging baskets.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic
