24 Hoya Varieties – Care Tips, Facts, and Photos

Hoyas are beautiful and strange plants to see and have as a houseplant, and it’s quickly gaining in popularity. Besides the pretty foliage, flowers, and fragrance, many Hoya varieties make excellent plants for beginners. They do have a reputation for being finicky, but there are some easy-grow varieties available.

Hoya varieties are very diverse, and they produce star-shaped, fragrant flowers. Some are easier to make thrive than others, but all need indirect light, warmth, and a soil that drains very well. The subgroup Eriostemma prefers to have soil that dries between watering sessions and stronger light, and some need cooler temperatures to encourage blooms.

1 Hoya Plants
Hoya Plant by Rodney / CC BY-SA 2.0

Hoya Overview

Usually sold under the name Wax Plants, hoya varieties are well-loved for their gorgeous foliage and scented flowers. A lot of people like their sculptural, stiff profile. This expansive genus is native to Australia and Asia, and they grow epiphytically in trees. Most hoya varieties are vines, but you can find ones that offer bush-like growth. One popular subgroup needs cooler temperatures to bloom.

The five-pointed star flowers come in several sizes and shapes with red-hued coloring. They can be matte or glossy, and some are fuzzy. The buds are even beautiful on this plant because they change and swell when they go from bud to bloom.

24 Stunning Hoya Varieties

We’ve picked out popular hoya varieties for this roundup. Some are in high demand and more expensive while others are more readily available and great for beginners. We’re going to include short care tips too, but you really should do research on your specific hoya variety when you get it to ensure it does well.

1. Hoya Acuta

This is a very low-key climbing vine that is surprisingly one of the best flowering and easiest go grow hoya varieties available. Each cluster of flowers has roughly 50 white and pink flowers, and the lance-shaped foliage on this plant grows in short petioles that attach to the plant’s main stem. As one of the lower maintenance Hoya varieties available, it can tolerate moderate humidity levels and likes to be in a comfortable indoor temperature range.

This plant will grow and bloom vigorously with light fertilizer applications once a month. There is a variety you can pick out with silver splash variegation, but it needs slightly more light to keep the color. It’s slowly gaining attention, but it can be difficult to find one because the primary distribution method comes from collector cuttings.

2 Hoya Acuta
Hoya Blooming by Geek2Nurse / CC BY-NC 2.0

2. Hoya Australis

Commonly called Wax Flower or Wax Vine, this easy-going and popular Hoya variety has broad glossy leaves and a longer climbing stem. The flowers are white with bright red accents, and they give off a pleasantly spicy but strong scent. This Australian native is a very hardy plant, and it can easily get up to 30 feet long. They like indirect but strong light, and the leaves will take on a gold tint in brighter conditions. In lower light, the leaves will get darker.

This is a solid all-around flowering vine that has been around for decades and has dozens of hybrids available. Some favorites you may find are Australis ‘Lisa,’ Australia ‘Rupicola,” and Australis ‘Variegata.’ You can buy this plant online and ship it straight to your door.
3 Hoya Australis
starr-090618-1136-Hoya_australis by Forest and Kim Starr / CC BY 2.0

3. Hoya Bella (Hoya Lanceolata Spp. Bella)

The elegant foliage on this plant has elliptical pointed leaves that have a deep indent along the center vein. The blooms on this hoya variety are another selling point as they produce star-shaped clusters of pretty white, fat flowers with delicate pink and red coloring. This is one of the more demanding hoya varieties on the list as it’s an epiphyte that needs barky substrate, light, and the soil should dry out but never 100%. It also prefers colder nights that drop down to 50-degrees F and moderate light.

This plant commonly has issues with thrip and mite infestations if you don’t keep an eye out for them. This hoya was once a hugely expensive variety, but the increased production brought the price down to a more manageable level. You can purchase cuttings online and ship them to your door, and it’s very rewarding if you take the time to get the growing conditions correct.
4 Hoya Bella
Hoya Bella by GJFamily / CC BY-SA 2.0

4. Hoya Burtoniae

The fuzzy, compact leaves on these mid-length vines make this a very popular hoya variety to pop into a hanging basket. It has olive-green foliage that reddens with high light exposure, and it can have darker margins. This plant will bloom very easily and give you large quantities of raspberry-colored flowers in groups of 15 and 20 in each cluster.

There is a lot of confusion surrounding this plant’s identity, and it has a very close twin plant called the Hoya Sp. Aff. burtoniae, and you may find it sold as DS-70 or Bilobata or a cross. Remember that the real one has fuzzy leaves and be careful when you shop. However, if you do want something hardier, the Hoya Sp. Aff. burtoniae is the plant to get.
5 Hoya Burtoniae
Common Wax-plant–毬蘭05 by Jennyhsu47 / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

5. Hoya Carnosa (Porcelain Flower, Wax Plant)

The basic green hoya variety is much less common than many hybrids available on the current market. The foliage can be variegated, plain, crinkled, or textured. The blooms are fuzzy, long-lasting clusters of very fragrant stars. It’s a versatile, hardy and easy to grow plant, and it adapts to moderate light and humidity much better than most plants in this category. They are also happy climbing up a trellis or cascading over a hanging basket ledge. It has been cultivated since it was originally discovered in 1770, and there are hundreds of cultivars. Some of the best-known varieties include:

  • ‘Argentea Princess’
  • ‘Chelsea’
  • ‘Exotica’
  • ‘Gray Ghost’
  • ‘Krimson Queen’
  • ‘Wilbur Graves’

This plant is fantastic for beginners, and it’s a great way to see if this plant is a good fit for your space. You can find the hybrids everywhere Hoyas get sold, and most of them are an inexpensive choice.
6 Hoya Carnosa
Hoya Carnosa by Faud Al Ansari / CC BY-NC 2.0

6. Hoya Coronaria

If you’re someone who likes plants with fuzzy leaves, this hoya variety should jump out at you. This has very deep green stems with big, paddle-shaped foliage that get covered with a soft layer of fuzz to turn it into an equivalent of a felted plant. The other big feature on this hoya variety is the hardened petals with the solid flowers, and it looks like a starfish from the front. The blossoms are larger too, and they have reddish-pink coloring or tinting that is impacted by the lighting.

This is an Eirostemma, so it’s one of the easier plants to care for. It has a low, squat profile with thicker centralized stems that can get up to five feet long. The leaves are succulent-like, and they need less water than some other options on the list. Also, it loves higher humidity levels. This isn’t a hard to find plant, and it’s an unusual and beautiful addition to your houseplant collection. The flower colors are red to white.
7 Hoya Coronaria
Hoya Coronaria by Sumarie Slabber / CC BY-ND 2.0

7. Hoya Caudata

The semi-succulent, bright green leaves on this hoya variety is variegated with light splotches on oval, long leaves. Silver flecks and blotches create vibrant patterns on the leaves, and the attractive blooms are big clusters of fuzzy stars that have contrasting red centers.

This isn’t a finicky plant to grow, but it does want the humidity levels to go above 50%, and it likes the soil to be consistently  moist. The trick is to find a balance.  They don’t like intense light, and they need more time to acclimate after you relocate them. There are many popular hybrids around, including Silver, Boronea, Sumatra, and Big Green. It’s not commonly found in garden centers, but you can find it online relatively easily.
8 Hoya Caudata
Hoya Caudata 04 by Scott Zona / CC BY-NC 2.0

8. Hoya Diversifolia

This trailing hoya variety has simple oval, green leaves with deep indents along the central vein. It will produce a classic flower that is a larger drooping cluster of fuzzy, star-shaped white and pink or yellow waxy blooms. The flowers are very fragrant, and they produce a decent amount of nectar. You’ll have to follow normal care instructions for the epiphytic hoya, including having a fast-draining airy, potting soil. They like very strong but indirect light or dapped sunshine.

If you’re having issues with this plant blooming, giving it more light and climbing support can help. This is a fun flowering hoya variety that will start blooming when the plant is very young and produce flowers continuously throughout the growing season. It’s not difficult to find online, but some cultivars are much more common.
9 Hoya Diversifolia
Mangrove wax plant (Hoya diversifolia) by Ria Tan / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

9. Hoya Finlaysonii

This designer hybrid comes with an upbeat, exotic vein pattern to it, and it has oval, long leaves that are soft and fuzzy. This plant will produce big globular clusters of bright white flowers with red centers that look like gummy candy. However, the scene-stealing foliage is the biggest attraction. This isn’t one of the more difficult plants to keep healthy, but it doesn’t hurt to be experienced with this plant. Depending on the cultivar, it can be a slow grower.

This excellent hoya variety has been around for years while flying largely under the radar. However, it’s been caught in a collector’s frenzy as of late, and it’s common for people to fly rooted cuttings or stems all over the world. You can find them by searching online.
10 Hoya Finlaysonii
Protected by KevPBur / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

10. Hoya Fitchii

This pretty vining plant has finely webbed, pale vein patterns all over the emerald leaves. It also produces copper colored blooms with bright coral pink centers. The colors get directly influenced by the growing conditions, and they can vary from pink to orange to yellow. This is a slow-growing variety that is easier to grow. It does better in higher humidity, you can run into problems with anything below 50%.

Between watering sessions, it’s best to let the soil dry out. This is very popular and in-demand with plant collectors, so you won’t find it in your local garden store. You can find small plants and cuttings online, but they can be on the more expensive side.
11 Hoya Fitchii
Ambri (Konkani: आंब्री) by Dinesh Valke / CC BY-SA 2.0

11. Hoya Imperialis

This is a very cute hoya variety that grows into a huge plant. It has oval, elongated leaves that start out a few inches long. On the mature plant, foliage will get to over a foot long. It also produces oversized pink or red flowers with cream colored centers that are a big focal point. This plant blooms prolifically under good conditions, and it’s one of the easier hoya varieties to make flower. This is a terrestrial plant that likes to have more typical potting soil than the airy mixes.

This plant does love a lot of light and it does well if you pull it back from the intense western or southern exposure. It’ll tolerate a temperature range of 60 to 90-degrees Fahrenheit, but growth slows if it drops below 70 degrees. This plant is very popular with collectors, but it’s hard to find on the general market. You can get pretty hybrids that are slightly easier to get your hands on, including Palawan.
12 Hoya Imperialis
Hoya Imperialis by Motoya Kawasaki / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

12. Hoya Kentiana

You keep this hoya variety for this foliage as much as the flowers. This plant will easily fill the pot with lance-shaped, long leaves. It has very sculptural foliage with a waxy surface and pretty dark edges. The clusters of fat, cute little flowers will last roughly a week and smell like butterscotch. This isn’t a very finicky plant, and it can adapt nicely to moderate humidity. The humidity should stay around 40%, and it likes bright light.

You want to be careful to not overwater this hoya variety, and it likes barky or rocky soil. This plant looks much better as it ages, and it does wonderfully in hanging baskets. You can find it in your local garden centers, so it’s not very expensive or hard to find. There are several hybrids in different variegation patterns and colors available too.
13 Hoya Kentiana
Hoya Kentiana, HT, US324009 by filibot.web / CC BY-SA 2.0

13. Hoya Kerrii

This hoya variety is also called Lucky Heart or Sweetheart Hoya, and it’s usually sold as a heart-shaped, single leaf planted in a very small pot. The brilliant emerald green coloring on the rounded leaves make them very popular Valentine’s Day gifts. The foliage is very thick and succulent-like, and it gets roughly two and a half inches wide. It’s a climbing vine that maxes out at 12 feet long.

This plant is very easy to maintain and it grows very rapidly once it acclimates. It does like much stronger lighting than other types, up to 90% full sun with fast-draining soil. A lot of people who purchase this hoya variety don’t realize that it’s a cutting instead of the full plant. If you buy it as a leaf, it can be weeks or months before any growth happens.
14 Hoya Kerrii
Hoya kerrii by Kate Ter Haar / CC BY 2.0

14. Hoya Lacunosa (Cinnamon Hoya)

Another entry-level hoya variety, this plant has a fragrance that makes it prized among collectors. The plant has fuzzy, tiny blooms with a cinnamon-scent that will fill the surrounding space. You’ll get sets of leaves on pliable stems with canoe-shaped, small foliage that is very waxy with dark green edges. It’s a great low-maintenance houseplant that likes an airy mix and cooler weather.

This plant can get up to five feet tall as long as you don’t keep it in very damp soil, but watering it more often can encourage faster growth.  This plant is a great intro to highly scented cultivars, and it’s usually very reasonably-priced and common in garden centers. There are many successful hybrids with this plant too.
15 Hoya Lacunosa
Hoya Lacunosa by Motoya Kawasaki / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

15. Hoya Linearis

This eye-catching cultivar is a big departure from the vining, oval-leafed hoya varieties that many people imagine. It has thin, long, fuzzy leaves that look like very decorative green beans. Blooms are available in clusters of white flowers with lemon scents and pink or yellow-hued centers. This is a cool-growing hoya that prefers lower temperatures during the night.

This is a slightly more demanding plant. If the humidity levels dip below 50% to 70%, the plant will shrivel. You have to water them carefully as well because they’re very sensitive to rot. It’s newer to the market, but growers keep it in high demand. So, you should be prepared to pay more for it.
16 Hoya Linearis
線葉毬蘭 Hoya linearis [香港公園 Hong Kong Park] by 阿橋 HQ / CC BY-SA 2.0

16. Hoya Macrophylla

This rambling, big hoya variety is prized for the light green, waxy, foliage with outstanding vein patterns. The pointed oval leaves have a fun 3-D texture, and pale veins run prominently across a network of horizontal veins on all of the leaves. The flowers are dainty and small, and they have a subdued color. The leaves easily outshine the flowers, and they can get up to five inches long.

As long as you give this plant climbing support, it can get roughly five feet high. It needs space or you’ll have to cut it back. It likes indirect but strong light with humidity levels that sit at roughly 60%. It does well with a small amount of oyster shell or egg shell mixed into the soil. The ideal location is eastern exposure with indirect but consistent sunlight. You can find it at garden centers, and there are hybrids with colored leaf margins.
17 Hoya Macrophylla
Hoya Macrophylla by Motoya Kawasaki / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

17. Hoya Neocaledonica

This vining hoya variety will bloom very well, and it does great with container growing. It has rounded foliage with a pretty greenish-yellow hue. The plant will produce yellow blooms with deep cherry red centers. This is a very easy plant to care for, and the normal care tips apply. It’s very hardy and perfect for beginners, but it’s much harder to source. This will also drive the price up when you do find a cutting.
18 Hoya Neocaledonica
Pterostylis curta R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland.: 326 (1810) by Motohiro Sunouchi / CC BY 2.0

18. Hoya Obovata

This popular hoya variety has saucer-shaped leaves that are very distinct, and the vines will form a very bushy tangle of foliage that overlaps. Some cultivars come with silver or pink flecks that scatter over the dark green leaves. The star-shaped blooms are pale purple or white with red or pink centers. In higher lighting, the plant will take on a lighter shade of green.

This isn’t the easiest plant on the list to grow, but you can have success with it if you’re very careful about watering it. This plant loves humidity, but it can survive in less humid conditions without a problem. It’s very popular and easy to source, and it’s very easy to propagate.
19 Hoya Obovata
Hoya Obovata by Mike Keeling / CC BY-ND 2.0

19. Hoya Pachyclada

This stunning hoya variety is a succulent-type with thick stems and fat foliage. It has slightly cupped and rounded leaves that have deep veins that attach to the plant’s main trunk using a thick petiole. The leaves will get bigger as your plant matures, and it blooms profusely with fragrant white flowers. It’s a very slow growing plant, and it needs very little water to survive. You want to treat it more like a succulent than anything else and give it bright light exposure and allow the soil to dry out between watering sessions. The water should also drain quickly.

A hoya variety that has been popular for years and it can be overlooked a lot, this is a great choice for novices. It’s a bigger specimen that looks lovely when you let it cascade down from a hanging basket. While it’s not rare, it may require searching to find it.
20 Hoya Pachyclada
粗蔓毬蘭 Hoya pachyclada [香港青松觀蘭花展 Tuen Mun, Hong Kong] by 阿橋 HQ / CC BY-SA 2.0

20. Hoya Pubicalyx

One of the biggest draws of this plant is that there are common, inexpensive hoya varieties available that can be just as stunning as the expensive, rare cultivars. This is an easy to grow hoya plant that will have flower clusters of up to 30 fuzzy, small flowers. It has ovoid leaves that splay out from the vines and get up to eight feet long. The flowers are very fragrant, and they can last up to two weeks.

This hardy twining vine can climb or trail, but it can be unruly. You might spend time unwinding this plant from any surrounding vines. It’s one of the fastest-growing cultivars available, and it’s easy to propagate by putting a cutting in water. It’s inexpensive and easy to find online and locally. There are cultivars available with colors that range from light pink to deep red, and the Pink Silver hybrid has white variegation that makes it very sought after.
21 Hoya Pubicalyx
短柔毛萼球蘭 Hoya pubicalyx ‘Red Button’ [紐西蘭 Tauranga Robbins Park, New Zealand] by 阿橋 HQ / CC BY-SA 2.0

21. Hoya Pauciflora

This vining hoya variety has thick stems with leaves that group on each node, and the foliage is very slender and long with a ribbon-like look that is pointed on each end. It looks like a small bamboo. It produces a fragrant, single white flower that is one-inch wide and has a crimson center. The fuzzy flowers are rewarding and different, but it won’t flower well without cooler temperatures during the night hours. The name means few blooms.

The foliage will stand out, and it grows very vigorously indoors. It prefers moderate light, and the plant will lose color if the sun is too strong. A large plant will make a fantastic showpiece in your home, and it works well in hanging planters. It may be slightly difficult to find though.
22 Hoya Pauciflora
191221 347 San Diego Balboa Park – Botanical Building, Hoya pauciflora by cultivar413 / CC BY 2.0

22. Hoya Retusa

This popular hoya variety is slightly odd because it has flat, slim, stick-like green foliage that splays out as it grows. The ends of each leaf looks like you chopped them off. It produces a very scattered crop of white, chubby flowers with centers that have maroon coloring. However, it can be difficult to bloom. It’s a cool-weather plant that needs lower temperatures during the night to produce flowers.

This unusual variety will add diversity to your houseplant collection while allowing you to have less common forms of this plant in your home. It might not be super appealing at first glance, but the character and charm will grow on you.
23 Hoya Retusa
DSCN4932 by batwrangler / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

23. Hoya Shepherdii

This hardy plant is very commonly called the Stringbean Hoya as it has semi-succulent, long ribbon-like leaves. The big and fragrant flowers are white with a red center, and they have a starlike bloom in the center. It will bloom easily if you have it in cooler indoor temperatures between 50 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

The plant also requires a well-draining soil that it prefers to let dry out between watering sessions. It’s also slow-growing and isn’t picky about humidity. The slender foliage is very diverse, and it looks nice in a hanging basket. It’s also not hard to find.
24 Hoya Shepherdii
毬蘭屬 Hoya shepherdii [華沙大學植物園 Warsaw University Botanic Garden] by 阿橋 HQ / CC BY-SA 2.0

24. Hoya Skinneriana (Hoya ‘Dee’s Big One’)

The final hoya variety of the list is vibrant green, robust, and offers oval leaves on a long vine. The flowers are the main draw with this plant. It produces  blooms in shades of white and pink that are almost an inch across, and they get packed into clusters of 20+ flowers. They form softball-sized clusters that can last for days. It’s also very easy to keep, and it thrives in very similar conditions to the Carnosa to make it a nice beginner plant.
25 Hoya Skinneriana
Hoya by Henryr10 / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Bottom Line

We’ve touched on 24 varieties of hoya plant that you can source and add to your houseplant collection. They’re large vining plants that will work wonderfully in a hanging basket or sitting on an edge of the table where it can spill down as it grows.

Hoya Varieties 1 Hoya Varieties 2