I think you probably already have Pink Silver or Silver Pink 'Splash'. It's a monster plant once it gets going. If the plant is dying, probably because it needs to be potted up or maybe even root pruned but I'll let the experts tell you about that. Once it is root pruned with new potting soil, etc. you could probably leave it in the original pot. All the rest that you mentioned are different varieties of publicalyx and some look very much alike.

For me, I love all the publicalyx hoyas. The hoya gurus usually have nightmares with talk of interchanging hoya names.

Hoyas are addicting. Enjoy!
Susan

The correct name for your original plant is publicalyx 'Pink Silver' and I'm sorry it's ailing - but I'm sure if you're taking cuttings you'll have another big plant on your hands in no time. I made mine mad somehow recently, which I didn't even realize was possible before, so you have company. ^_^

Hoya publicalyx 'Red Buttons' and publicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' and publicalyx 'Pink Silver' are indeed different cultivars. It is said that publicalyx 'Chimera' is 'RHP' and I've heard the same of 'Philippine Black,' although with less frequency. 'RHP' does display wild variety amongst its flowers and all publicalyxes will throw weird leaves from time to time, so pictures aren't much to be relied upon as evidence of a new cultivar.

My feeling is that 'RHP' is a highly interesting and variable plant dramatically affected by different conditions and that you should indeed feel skeptical that 'Pubicalyx Philippine Black Chimera' is a different plant. 'RHP' can indeed have dark blooms and blooms that are splotched and blooms that are pink all during the same blooming cycle. I know there are people here who have pictures to support this. Also, this name 'Publicalyx Philippine Black Chimera' has been around for at least 8+ years, so it's definitely not new.

If it were me, I'd hold off on getting a 'RHP' for now, with the assumption that your 'PBC' will turn out to be one and the same. Well, that IS me. I have 'Chimera' and I believe it to be 'RHP' so that's enough for me.

There are lots of interesting publicalyx cultivars, though. And if you like dark blooms, maybe you want to try a 'Black Dragon.'

I have all 3 varieties, chimera, red buttons and royal Hawaiian purple. The Chimera was a freebie from glasshouse works when they forgot about my order for 6 months so I don't know how accurate the name is. The other 2 came from cowboyflowerman. The chimera has pinkish splotches on it's leaves. The royal Hawaiian purple has greenish splotches and the red buttons doesn't have many splotches and the leaves look shorter. If I think about, I will take pictures of them tomorrow when the light is good.

Michelle

Wow. Now there is a 'Black Dragon'? Is that a 'Black' flower? Sounds great! Have you got one and feel like giving away some cuttings:)? I guess till I get this chimera to bloom, I wont know what its bloom looks like. I bought it already, now I have to wait for it to arrive. Cant stop it now. The old one I have is 'splash, it is streaked with lots of silver on the leaves and it blooms constantly, I think it is just so old, and it is already in a 12in clay pot. and is on a trellis. To much work to try and root prune. Easier to start over new, and have young plants in the pot again. It has been though 2 hurricanes and 10 winters of 20-30 degree nights! I wrapped it in newspaper to protect it. But there is so much old and dead stems, intertwined in it, it is to complicated to try and clean up. Now I am getting lots of yellow leaves dropping, but it is putting out new growth from the base, and as it gets big enough,I cut it off to root in another pot, and once I get enough rooted, I am going to pot them all up into the 12in pot, and start over. It has always been a monster plant, and I love it. I didnt know there was such a big debate with names, until I won this 'Black Chimera'...thats why I asked about it. And I thought that Chimera meant it was very unstable genetically, and it could revert back to whatever it originally was. And the others I am looking at are from that same guy...Cowboyflowerman! Got to see if I won that 'Pottsii Chang Mai' one from him now. Big leaves, and white flowers. It was really cheap,and looked big, so, I am hoping it has a fragrant flower, not just great big leaves. Sounds like the difference between most of these are the leaves. I want DARK fuzzy fragrant flowers. Don't care what the leaves look like. The Lacunosa flowers are so small, but smells up the front porch like crazy, along with the Silver Pink, and the 'common' 'Wax Plant' with huge round big balls of hot pink flowers.

Amazing. Up north this 'common' plant is probably a 'rare bloomer',here in Fla. it is blooming like a weed, and it is so pretty. I got it at Lowes for $6. in a 6in hanging basket, I bought it to just fill up a space on the front porch to give some foliage cover, then it started to bloom! 1 month later,it is blooming like crazy now, and has like 12 bloom spurs covered in blooms all he time.

Yes, the 'Black Dragon' has a black flower. Mine is not big enough to take cuttings from, but it is a fast grower and several people here have plants, so I'm sure in the future it will be freely traded.

Hoya publicalyx 'Splash' is the same as 'Pink Silver' and 'Pink Silver' is the true name for this cultivar. Some people say that 'Splash' has more silver than 'Pink Silver' but most believe these differences to be caused by differences in condition. A lot of sellers historically just made up different names for this plant, so it has a laundry list of alter egos. I could be wrong, of course, I'm just reporting the consensus view.

If you're specifically interested in smell, maybe it would be worth your time to start a thread asking people to recommend their favorite smellers.

I believe 'Chimera' finds its way onto some publicalyx cultivar names to indicate the wide variety of blooms and leaves that are produced. It is not an unstable plant, the way AV chimeras can be, it's just unpredictable. You can see some good example pictures of what I'm talking about here.

The common 'Wax Plant' is Hoya carnosa.

So great that you have such fantastic results with your plants. Hoyas definitely love Florida. Hope you'll consider posting pictures for us someday.

Good luck with the 'Chiang Mai' bidding! dmichael can probably answer your questions about the smell. Here is a picture he posted of his, blooming in April:

Here is a link that might be useful: H publicalyx 'Black Dragon'

I won the 'Chiang Mai'....now I just have to wait to get it,in 2-3 days, and see what kind of plant I get to grow from it. It looks pretty big in a 4in pot. I have found that all the hoyas I have ever had all smell like chocolate or 'orchids', or honey. With the exception of 'Tsangii'...it smells to me like hot melted butter! When I have more than 1 spur in bloom on my plant, my entire back porch at night smells like I just popped popcorn in the microwave! I dont know if it is just MY nose, or what,but to me 'Tsangii' smells like butter! Does it smell like that to others? I find it very odd, and powerful...for such small blooms.

All the others have the other aromas I mentioned. The 'common one' that has all the pink flowers all over it now, is called Hoya Carnosa Variegata 'Rubra',I bought it for the foliage, not thinking it would flower much,but it is the best bloomer I have. The 'Pink Silver', or 'Silver Pink' one always has 2-4 umbels going, but this 'Carnosa' has like 9 open all the time. The aroma is super powerful,mixed with the 2 Lacunosas,and now I JUST re-potted my 'H. Macgillvrayii', into a 6in hanging basket,and put it out front where the mother was, and grew like a weed and bloomed constantly,I am hoping it will do the same, so I can take more cuttings and root more plants.

That 'Black Philippine Chimrea',that I am waiting for, I hope will have fragrant blooms as well. At night it is very fragrant. And when I have my Epi.Oxypetalum Queen of the Night in bloom, it is a mass of aromas! I'll have to start a hunt for this Black Dragon variety, and try to get some cuttings or a plant.

I attached a link that shows a list of the different Hoya pubicalyx varieties. Names often get mixed up or sometimes people might attach a name to a certain plant when it is really something different. These varieties come about when plants are raised from seed and a seedling shows characteristics that are different and make it stand out form the rest. Even though there are many varieties of Hoya pubicalyx they are all different in the sense that each was raised from a single seed but they are all of course still Hoya pubicalyx no matter how much they vary in colour or appearance.
The name Hoya pubicalyx 'Philippine Black Chimera' is a bit of a mash-up so perhaps what you have is Hoya pubicalyx 'Philippine Black'. I think you will be very happy with your plant and if it is Philippine Black you have one of the less common varieties that are available.

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoya pubicalyx

well my 'Philippine Black chimera' arrived as well as my my 'Chiang Mai'. The Chimera stems look very dark,almost black and the leaves are much thinner and the leaves are covered in sliver streaks, much more than my common 'Pink Silver'. The one that I have had for like 10 years and now is slowly dying, but I have others to replace it, and I stupidly bid on one on EBay for some reason,and won it! No one else bid on it. So I got it for next to nothing. The shipping is twice the price of the plant! Well all the plants of the 'Pink Silver' I have will go into one big pot to replace the old one that is dying.

The Chiang Mai came with 2 well rooted plants,barerooted,not my favorite way to get plants,but it seems to be ok. It has a nice new long vine on it as well,so I have two nice new ones, and next week I will have a starter 'Archboldia' with those huge cupped blooms,one day soon I hope! So,I will be over flowing with hoyas.

Still want to get that 'Black Hoya' that is out there. I forget the name, but one went for over $76 for a tiny cutting! To rich for my blood. Boy,if and when my 'Macgillverii' grows and starts to throw off those long vines like its mother did. I am going to be rooting everything I cut off it, and make myself a small fortune!Or trade for other huge bloomers. Seems to be a good business if you can root them and sell them in the USA....all the huge bloomers are in Thailand and cost a fortune to buy and to ship. I was lucky to get the small starter that i got, at a half way decent price,and from the USA!

Which H. macgillivrayi do you have?

Carolyn