Hoya Diptera
Hoya Diptera
Hoya diptera
❦ ❧ ❦
Difficulty — IntermediateA handsome Hoya from the Fijian islands, the diptera bears broad, deeply-veined leaves quite distinct from the small-leaved trailers — substantial, glossy, and ribbed like a leaf pressed in a book. Her flowers are a clear, cheerful yellow, waxen and star-shaped, and famously generous with nectar, often dripping sweet drops beneath the cluster. Her name, meaning two-winged, comes from her curious paired seed pods. A distinctive specimen for the collector.
Notes on Cultivation
☀Light
Bright, indirect light keeps her broad leaves firm and her bloom coming, and she will take gentle morning sun. In poor light she grows sparse and reluctant to flower.
❦Water
Let her dry most of the way between waterings. Her substantial leaves store water well, so she tolerates a forgotten drink far better than a waterlogged root.
☁Humidity
An island native, she favours higher humidity — 60 percent or more keeps her broad leaves at their best. A humidifier or pebble tray is a kindness she repays in vigour.
✵Temperature
Keep her warm, between 65 and 85 Fahrenheit, and well clear of cold below 55. She has little patience for chill.
❧Soil
A free-draining epiphytic mix of bark and perlite, with perhaps a little sphagnum to hold gentle moisture, suits her. Sharp drainage remains essential.
❀Fertilizing
Feed regularly but lightly through the growing season; a bloom feed as buds form encourages those bright, nectar-laden yellow clusters.
✿Propagation
Root a stem cutting with a node or two in a clear cup of moist Fluval Stratum, our signature method, kept warm and humid while she establishes — she is a touch slower than the small-leaved Hoyas, so give her time and steady conditions. Read the full field method.
Field Observations
Mind the nectar — her flowers drip generously, and the sweet drops can mark furniture or floors below, so site her where a little stickiness will not trouble you.
Wipe her broad leaves now and then; their size and prominent veining show every speck of dust, and clean foliage drinks the light far better.
— faithfully recorded by Mr. Phileas Plant
