Bihai,

What's the new name for latifolia? I wasn't aware it had been renamed and would like to know the new name. Latifolia is one I cherish because I nearly lost mine but managed to salvage a cutting and get it started. Took 2 years, but now it's growing, not fast at all, but looking great. Here's mine...

Your leaves don't look quite the same as mine - wondering if mine might be something else...

Denise in Omaha

Here's my latifolia.

Not the best picture of the leaves but they are pretty big, that's a 4" pot it's planted in. Got mine off ebay.

shanna

I was told by someone who approached me about a trade that they believed that Hoya latifolia had been renamed Hoya praetoria.

Now I knew THAT wasn't true, so I did some research and discovered that Hoya latifolia is now most commonly sold as Hoya loyceandrewsiana. It apparently has also been sold as Hoya diversifolia in the past.

Hoya loyceandrewesiana is just not to my liking to memorize and try to spell correctly, LOL, so my plant will always remain latifolia.

The leaves look ver close, I think, Denise. Mine is a very large plant but the leaves have yet to reach the full 'dinnerplate' potential. I'd say the smallest are maybe 2" and the largest 4-5". When it was in bloom I looked up and compared its flowers to photos, they matched perfectly. Wish I hadn't been so lazy and had gotten a pic.

How old is your plant? I would love to have one, but am curious how long it takes to get from CBFM size to that size. How do you differentiate it from obovata, foliage wise?

My plant came as a single cutting very very early last season, so it may be about 15 months old. My obovata looks totally different. Most of its leaves start out speckled too but seem to lose the speckling. This is a huge plant, it runs up the wall 12 feet on that totem with the Philodendron "Rising Sun" and then makes a turn to the right and goes along the wall for a ways. It was in profuse bloom about 3 weeks ago:
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The reason I asked is I have a lot of obovata plants together, but I do have one plant which is highly flecked and maybe a little different growth It's hard to tell since none of my obovatas really look the same, although they have come from the same source.

Oh, it's great to know it grows fast, Bihai! I love the big-leaved Hoyas so I'm excited for it to get going. It's always hard to tell leaf size in a photo..

Denise in Omaha

Mentha,
I know what you mean. I think there is a lot of variation in some of these plants. That may be a contributing factor to some of the misidentification that goes on. There are a lot of leaves that look alike, and some on the same plant will be variable, and you have to see the flower to be certain. I also firmly believe after many years of collecting many different types of plants that the same plant can and will look different grown in different conditions and settings. Bromeliads are a prime example. Sometimes when you see photos of bromeliads, especially Neoregelias, from Hawaii, they have a totally different look than the exact same plant grown here in the continental US. They have almost a "stacked leaf" look, like a cabbage rose. Its a very very cool look, an almost perfect form, but they just don't do that here and I have never heard of anyone who can make them achieve that look. They don't keep the short stubby leaves, they develop long strappy leaves. There are also great variations in color sometimes. Must be something about the volcanic soil or the degree of sunlight or a combination of things in Hawaii that just doesn't happen here.

I think Hoyas can be the same way.

I think H. latifolia is that or sometimes aff. latifolia (if the seller isn't 100% sure), so I'd keep it labeled as such for now.
I do know that, no matter what I was called, I'd be a happy plant if I lived in your garden - luscious jungle!!!