I rooted H. buotii and wallichii succesfully in a glass using orchid mix and some regular moss. They seemed to like it.

Sphagnum moss is often recommended for delicate cuttings, and it should be just the right medium for your ciliata. Just keep the moss damp instead of soaking wet, and I believe you have a very good setting.

I also bought a few started plants that were growing in sphagnum moss, and had some trouble changing the potting medium -- it was so full of thin, delicate roots. You'll have the opportunity to change the medium a bit quicker and easier...

Enjoy your new H. ciliata, and buy the black dragon next!

i keep hearing about this Black Dragon.....where/what is it? The next ' Black Hoya Flower'?

It is pubicalyx 'Black Dragon'. You can get on the wait list from Joni at SRQ Hoyas.

Dee

Sphagnum moss is great for cuttings and it has anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties.

Mike

i looked up that 'Black Dragon',and found a 'Pink Dragon' as well. Is the release of them somekind of big deal in the Hoya World? Are they new crosses and have something new going for them? I am just hoping my 'Red Buttons' blooms. It doesnt look even as dark as Red Buttons. Whats the big deal? I am sorry, it doesn't look all that different from Red Buttons. What am i not seeing?

Does anyone know. And can tell me. It is my type, nice and fuzzy flowers, and I assume it is from the super easy to grow branch of the 'hoya tree', the 'Pubicalyx' kind?

I didnt know about the Sphagnum moss having the anit-funal properties. Sounds like I might get my 'Cilata' rooted.

So what is the big 'deal' about these Pink and Black Dragons? I thought it was going to be a huge flower and as close to black as someone finally got, but from what I saw it is just a nice dark fuzzy flower, and has a Pink sister to!. What am i not seeing, that is making everyone want it or them?

Hoya pubicalyx is from the Philippines although there have been many introductions of new pubicalyx plants from within the US from seed grown plants. The plants Hoya pubicalyx 'Black Dragon', 'White Dragon' and 'Pink Dragon' are new introductions that were collected from the wilds of the Philippines in the last few years. Until this time there was only one other very dark pubicalyx cultivar and that was 'Philippine Black' although it seems to be very hard to find. The 'White Dragon' is an alba form and it is the first for Hoya pubicalyx to my knowledge. Hoya pubicalyx 'Pink Dragon' looks to have much lighter flower colour overall than many other forms of the species which usually have a pink/purple colour, still 'Pink Silver' is quite pink as well.
Forest Treasures is the seller of these Hoyas and they first made their debut in the US last year when Joni of SRQ Hoyas imported a large group of cutting/plants of many different Philippine species.

Mike

Well to me the Black one looks like 'Red Buttons'...my 'Silver Pink' looks like the 'Pink dragon', and i havent seen this white Dragon yet. It just seems like it is some kind of big deal of a release of now it appears, 3 new hoyas? is that right? It is someone releasing 3 new hoyas, so everyone into collecting new hoyas wants them? There is nothing HUGELY differnt about them, from Red Buttons, or Silver Pink,or some white hoya that I dont have to compare it to? They are just 3 new varieties and people want them,because they are 'new', and hard to get,right?

Its not like they smell like Chanel#5, or the leaves have long hair all over them, or they have odd shaped giantic flowers? They are just 3 new varieties that collectors want...right? Like I said I am just waiting for my Red Buttons to bloom, it looks like that 'Black Dragon' flowers, and so does my 'Philippine Black Chimera'. From the description of the chimera, it says that the flowers CAN come out all pink on one umbel, then half pink half red on another, or all red on another, at the same time, thus it is a Chimera....right? If it blooms nice and dark red, or close to black, or if I luck out and get two colors at the same time, I will be thrilled!

I will wait for others to buy these new ones, and see how dark the Black Dragon is. I am hoping out of the 3 possible Black ones I have, I will get a super dark red/black flower soon. The plants are all growing fast now, so I am just waiting for the cutting of the 'Cilata' to root, and the others to bloom, and hope i get a 'Black' hoya:).

Is this 'SQR hoyas' a good place to buy hoyas online? I have seen you and others mention it several times. I will go look for it, after i post this.

The seed pod on my plain ol' Carnosa Rubra is still only about 7in long, and it isnt getting any bigger, so I think the seeds must be ripening in it. I better get a stocking on it to catch teh seeds, when it pops open. So i can give them away to the ones that want them.

These new introductions are all just variations of Hoya pubicalyx so you can't really get a large range of different characteristics. You can expect different flower colours and variations in the leaves but because this is just natural genetic variation in one species that's about all you can expect to see. Hoya pubicalyx is a good grower with nice big blooms so it's a popular Hoya and that is why people are interested in these new introductions.

There are many threads on SRQ Hoyas and yes this is a great place to buy plants.

Mike