Hoya carnosa Tricolor - Wax plant

The Hoya carnosa 'Tricolor' is a tropical houseplant with variegated foliage. This hybrid produces ovate, glossy, smooth leaves in a mix of pink, cream, and green hues. The lianas of this trailing plant form an elegant cascade perfect for placing on a shelf or in a hanging basket. Its stunning and fragrant flowering which earns it the nickname 'Porcelain Flower' is exquisitely beautiful. It rewards patient gardeners with white umbels that resemble fine porcelain.

The Hoya carnosa 'Tricolor' is also known as the Wax Flower. It is a cultivar derived from the Hoya carnosa species also botanically named Asclepias carnosa, Cynanchum carnosum hort., Schollia carnosa. It originates from Southeast Asia, particularly northern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, southern Vietnam, and Java, as well as Australia. In these regions, this epiphytic plant climbs up other vegetation, using it as a support to reach several metres in height. The Hoya carnosa 'Tricolor' develops slightly thick leaves, with moderate growth, on lianas that can grow 2 to 3 metres long and a spread of 1 metre. It can form a plant 60 cm wide and 1 metre long after a few years. Once mature, its spring or summer indoor flowering appears as umbels of star-shaped, pale pink or white flowers with a remarkable texture reminiscent of porcelain. Grouped in clusters of 15 to 20 or more, they are borne on long floral peduncles, forming a bunch 5-6 cm in diameter.

The Hoya genus belongs to the Apocynaceae family and comprises around 400 species native to the warm, humid regions of Southeast Asia, Australia, and Polynesia, where they thrive in tropical forests. Primarily shrubs or epiphytic lianas, they often anchor themselves to tree trunks and branches using aerial roots enabling them to grow towards the light. This unique climbing habit has made them popular as ornamental houseplants, ideal for climbing up supports or cascading down from hanging baskets.

The Hoya carnosa 'Tricolor' prefers bright, indirect light—ideally 10 hours a day to encourage flowering—but can also tolerate some gentle direct sunlight in the morning or late afternoon. Choose an epiphytic plant substrate such as an orchid mix and allow it to dry out between waterings, except in summer or warm periods when you may water your plant several times a week. The 'Tricolor' thrives in temperatures between 18°C and 26°C with an ambient humidity of at least 50-60%. You can train it to climb up a support or, alternatively, use it in a hanging display, allowing its flexible stems to trail.