Hoya sigillatis - Wax plant

The Hoya sigillatis is a species cultivated mainly for its foliage. Its narrow, elongated leaves are a matt green speckled with silvery white. The emerging leaves display a charming greyish-pink hue. The plant's stems are slender and flexible, making it ideal for hanging baskets or trellises. Its leaves can grow up to 10 cm long, creating a cascading effect as they gracefully wrap around the plant's lianas. Its flowers are small, star-shaped, and pale compared to the visual impact of the foliage.

The Hoya sigillatis is also known as the Wax Flower. This species originates from Southeast Asia, particularly Borneo, where it thrives in warm and humid conditions. In these regions, this epiphytic plant climbs onto other vegetation, using them as a support to reach several metres in height. The Hoya sigillatis develops semi-succulent, matt leaves that can grow up to 10 cm long, and its lianas can reach 1 to 2 m in length. Its spring or summer flowering indoors occurs once the plant has reached maturity, producing small umbels of star-shaped flowers, though this is not a Hoya primarily grown for its flowering.

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

The Hoya sigillatis thrives in bright, indirect light but can also tolerate some direct sunlight in the morning or late afternoon when it is gentle. Choose a substrate for epiphytic plants 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. This species prefers temperatures between 18°C and 26°C, with a minimum humidity level of 60%. You can either train it to climb a support or, alternatively, use it as a hanging display, letting its flexible stems drape freely.