My obovata has huge round leaves and is quite beautiful.

Hi Lisa,

Welcome aboard! Onychoides is one that has large leaves as well as flowers. I do not grow this one, but have been interested in it for sometime. I agree with TD about obovata (I got my cutting from her) about the leaf size and shape. Mine hasn't bloomed but it is an easy hoya for a beginner. Fungii has fuzzy leaves that can get large but the blooms look similar to carnosa. I'm sure others will pipe up about some other hoyas that you're looking for.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Thanks, TD and Brad. I have an onychoides and am not too interested in more carnosa-like blooms. I've got a huge carnosa and a KP. I was considering a variegated obovata but then purchased an australis 'lisa'. On the exchange page, Carolyn mentioned glabra but I have heard they are difficult to root. I had a failed attempt at rooting a compromised, scorched calycina cutting from a certain HI vendor (although montana and Kaimuku were successful) and now feel like I must be very careful about spending my hoya $$$. Have you tried rooting glabra?

lisa

Hi Lisa

Do you have a favorite place to shop for Hoyas, maybe we can offer help in choosing one that fits what you are looking for from a price list.

Here is a list of names you can search for, species with big showy leaves.

Hoya polystachya
Hoya latifolia
Hoya loyceandrewsiana
Hoya macrophylla - green or variegated
Hoya pentaphlebia IML 0391 is the best I have seen and has large leaves
Hoya cleminsorianum - large veined leaves, really weird one
Hoya rigida

Hoya glabra can have big fairly thin leaves but not all varieties do, Ted Greens is one of the huge ones.

Here is my Hoya polystachya as a cutting, a good comparison when shown with small leafed species although these are still smaller leaves when compared to the size they can attain.

Mike

Lisa,

It was probably me that posted about macrophylla and that is the one I would recommend if you're looking for one with impressive leaves. They vary quite a bit in size, and that's one of the things I love about it. I have one in my sunroom that has a leaf larger than my hand with fingers spread - it's knock-your-socks-off huge! If you go to buy the plain green form (which is the one with variable leaves), be sure to buy the standard, not the narrow leaf. It's a stunner! But it's hard to bloom (for me, anyway...) I've had mine probably at least 10 years and it's never bloomed. But the leaves are all I really care about! Oh, and I especially love how the new leaves are dark, almost black. Beautiful!

Denise in Omaha

Ahhh, a voice from the northern climes! Mike, your polystachya is beautiful - love the leaf size and pronounced veining. Has the leaf size increased and do you grow it under artificial light or near a window? I have a variegated macrophylla I purchased from Asiatica but so far, the leaves are not very large and so I'm questioning whether a solid mac will have the large leaves I am seeking. Does your polystachya have red, new leaves?

I have a rigida 1424 that I love and have also purchased a Khao Yai from Asiatica that so far, to my albeit untrained eye, appears to be another - expensive - rigida. I have seen a loyceandrewsiana on a cactus site and have not ruled it out as an option.

Does your polystachya have an IML number? There is an IML 1410 on e-bay being sold by dmichael but there is also an aff. latifolia 1410 that Joni/SRQ sells. Do you think yours is one of these? Finally, there is also a pentaphlebia 0391 currently offered on e-bay but the seller has posted quite a bit of nastiness on the web and frankly, I find it a bit disturbing. I had purchased my first hoya from her prior to my searching and am finding that that particular hoya brings me a bit less joy and satisfaction than the others I have aquired. Odd how the human mind (OK, maybe just my mind) associates things with emotion. Would you care to share where you aquired your polystachya?

This Hoya came from Paul Shirley Succulents in the Netherlands but I don't think there are sales to the US any longer due to problems with shipping.

The leaves on my plant vary in size with the largest being 7" long and 4" wide, most of the older leaves are around 5" x 3.5". I grow my plant about 4' back from a South facing window where it is shaded by other plants but it also gets some extra light from a red/blue LED spotlight.

Here is a photo of my plant before the new growth filled in with leaves. I have since added another bamboo pole for support and the vine has filled in to about a foot above the top of the old trellis.

The new leaves are dark green with a plumb purple blush and a satin finish. The brighter the light the darker the colour of the new leaves and my plant is not grown very bright.

Mike

Denise - thanks for the post! I love the sound of your mac. Can I ask where you purchased it?

Mike - thanks so much for posting your photos! Its good to know that vine gaps fill in - I've got a starter calycina that has a several inch gap and I've been considering snipping it and trying to root it. After reading your post, I'll wait for a while. Unfortunate that Paul Shirley is no longer shipping here. If you're interested in parting with a cutting, please let me know...

Brad - I've enjoyed your posts about your sugar experiment and crocheted potholders. Your posts remind me of my own son and I just have to smile. I have a starter onychoides that you may have in exchange for a cutting. I'll check to see if you have a list posted. Feel free to e-mail me at gpsvdjsv@yahoo.com.

lisa