Common name: Wax Plant, Wax Flower, Porcelain Flower
Botanical name: Hoya carnosa Family: Asclepiadaceae (milkweed family)
Wax flower is a slow-growing, woody, evergreen vine which has thick,
fleshy, two to four-inch-long, green or variegated leaves, and
produces in spring and summer large, round, hanging clusters
of creamy white to light pink, 0.5-inch, fragrant flowers, each
with a perfect five-pointed pink star in the center. Bloom fragrance is subtle
and you must come close to the plant
to enjoy it but it is well worth the effort. These long-lasting,
showyblooms emerge on old flower spurs, which should never
be pruned off. The delicate flowers appear to be made of porcelain and are
truly unique. The flowers produce abundant nectar which drips down in warm
weather. Because Wax Plant is especially sensitive to
nematodes, plants are often grown in containers where the soil
can be carefully controlled.
| Photographed in Imphal, Manipur |
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