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Tuesday, February 24, 2015

One Naughty Hoya

I told my sister that my hoyas are very kind to me. The flowers normally open when i am at home on weekends. Sometimes though, the flowers look still young and i thought they will open in the next 1-2 days, but as i am watching them after arrival on Saturday afternoons, sometimes they start opening! It is just serendipitous, but i am so happy thinking they are really kind to me.

I work and live in the big city. The closest time i come home are Saturdays, but normally i go home every other week. I confess my hoya collections oblige me to come home often, sacrificing rest hours, expenses and other chores in my city home. I can't even go to the mall because i need to tend to my hoyas.

The thing i mentioned above is not the rule. There is one plant which has been flowering for quite sometime now when i am away. Once, the flowers already look so ripe to open but it disappointed me. It eventually opened the next day after i left. Then last weekend it heard my request.

This is Hoya soligamiana, more than 2 yrs old from cuttings. The name is from a still active professor of Biology from the Philippines' leading state university. Look at the leaves, they show some tinge of red hue courtesy of our colder nights last December-January. Those are the only cold we get in this hot tropical part of the world. At the moment it has 3 umbels, can you see the 3rd at the lower right? It has only 2 unopened flowers! And of course, there are 2 bigger umbels at the left side. All the 3 opened in succession at the same day.

This is the stage a few minutes just before they opened. The look of it beguiled me, i thought they are still immature and might need 2 more days. It is also different from other hoyas as the flowers face up, unlike most of the species. 

But look they started cracking up, showing the bright fuchsia coronas, very different from the yellowish corolla. I almost jumped in amazement, i didn't leave them until they finish showing off their hidden heart. I was expecting a scent, but i sensed none!

 They are so beautiful, i stayed there until it is already dark. Hoyas normally bloom in the late afternoon to early evening. This ensures possible pollination which are mostly the moths. They are nocturnal insects so i guess the flowers time their opening with the presence of pollinators. On the other hand, maybe the moths come at night because they know the flowers are open at that particular time, a case of chicken and egg, who knows!

The following morning the umbel looks like this. The corollas have fully reflexed fully exposing the corona, opening themselves to possible agents of preserving the species. They are so beautiful, i know you will agree.

I am just showing here other possible angles and color saturations of the flowers so you can judge for yourselves if it is really lovely. In a few more hours, they will start to fall, as they only stayed there for two days. Good things really don't last forever. We have to make the most while it is still possible.


I left for the big city on Sunday afternoon. This time i am so happy as the one hoya i have been waiting for literally bloomed in front of my eyes. Now i can rest well. Thanks Hoya soligamiana.


20 comments:

  1. Wow, what an amazing flower. It looks more like a cake decoration than a real flower! I can't believe that things happen in minutes there that would take days in our climate!

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    1. Oh yes Nick, even water droplets here evaporates before i can get a good shot, hehe! I really love the color of this hoya, it is very showy!

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  2. What a beautiful flower. I think your Hoya know you appreciate them, each and every one of them.

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    1. Oh yes i hope we are communicating very well. If we know the requirements of plants, that is when we are called green thumb.

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  3. Great images of these beautiful flowers, first time I see them!

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    1. I haven't seen where you are from, but hoyas are very famous. Temperate country growers give space in their houses to keep them in winter, and they are rewarded well. Thanks for visiting.

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  4. I've never seen hoyas flower, neat! Tom The Backroads Traveller

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    1. Thanks for dropping by, it's time for you to be introduced to them, you will not regret!

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  5. I have never seen such a flower before and think this is something very special. Really impressive in its unique natural beauty.

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    1. It is special, but a lot these days are being addicted to hoyas. Even collectors from temperate countries have a lot of them.

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  6. I will echo the WOW above, what an unusual flower. I am so glad I found this weekly representation of flowers from the other side of the world. It is so interesting to me.

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    1. Thanks for your visit. I have been posting them awhile back, lots of them. And many temperate countries like US, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Canada among a few are growing hoyas from tropical climates. The Philippines alone has nearly 200 species.

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  7. What a gorgeous flower with the fuchsia flowers.

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  8. The Hoya is indeed lovely, as are all of the Hoyas I have seen. I have one myself that is stubborn and has not bloomed for me, Hoya nummularioides. Maybe someday. I like the way your Hoya's corolla reflexes, it looks like a shooting star, and the bright fuchsia corona is very pretty.

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    1. Oh i am glad i finally saw someone here in blog who has a hoya too. Most of my hoya friends in FB are not into blogging, so i just see them in FB. I don't have your hoya yet, i guess it is one of the cute hoyas too. Why don't you try putting fertilizer with higher K? Try it, it might reward you soonest.

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  9. It is so pretty! Lovely photos! Thank you very much for sharing with Today's Flowers. I appreciate very much :)

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  10. Delightful shots, Andrea. I am glad the hoyas cooperated! You can really see why they are called "wax flowers" when you you look at those gorgeous macros.
    Thanks for joining us on Floral Friday Fotos, hope to see more of your work in the weeks ahead!

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  11. beautiful...
    I know this plant only in white.

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