Hoya wayetii x tsangii Rosita - Wax plant

The Hoya 'Rosita' is an attractive hybrid between Hoya wayetii and Hoya tsangii. Its thick leaves are slightly incurved and undulate, elongated, edged with a fine, almost black border. The unique texture of the leaves is combined with a rich green, sometimes tinged with pink. This tropical houseplant creates an elegant cascade of lush lianas, perfect for placing on a shelf or in a hanging basket. Its superb and fragrant flowering, which gives it the alternative name "Porcelain Flower", is exquisitely beautiful. It rewards patient gardeners with umbels resembling fine porcelain, reddish-purple in colour in this cultivar.

The Hoya 'Rosita' is also known as the Wax Flower. It is a hybrid between the Hoya wayetii and Hoya tsangii species, native to Southeast Asia, specifically the Philippines and Taiwan. In these regions, these epiphytic plants climb onto other vegetation, using them as support to reach several metres in height. 'Rosita' develops incurved, slightly thick leaves, particularly elongated and beautifully edged with an almost black border. The growth rate is moderate, with lianas that can reach up to 1 metre in length. Its spring or summer flowering, when grown indoors, appears once the plant reaches ripeness, forming umbels of star-shaped flowers, reddish-purple in this cultivar, with a striking texture reminiscent of porcelain. Grouped in clusters of 15 to 20 or more, they are borne on long pedunculate stems, forming a bouquet 5-6 cm in diameter.

The genus Hoya belongs to the Apocynaceae family and comprises around 400 species, native to the warm, humid regions of Southeast Asia, Australia, and Polynesia, where they thrive in tropical forests. Mostly epiphytic shrubs or lianas, they often anchor themselves to tree trunks and branches using aerial roots, allowing them to grow towards the light. This unique climbing habit has made them popular as ornamental houseplants, ideal for climbing supports or cascading in hanging baskets.

Hoya 'Rosita' thrives in bright, indirect light, ideally for 10 hours a day to encourage flowering, but it can also tolerate some gentle direct sunlight in the morning or late afternoon. Choose an epiphytic plant substrate, such as an orchid mix, and allow it to dry out between waterings, except in summer or warm periods when you may water your plant several times a week. 'Rosita' prefers temperatures between 18°C and 26°C, with a minimum humidity level of 50-60%, though it thrives in higher humidity, around 60-80%. You can train it to climb a support or, alternatively, grow it in a hanging basket, allowing its flexible stems to trail.