Hoya carnosa, or wax flower, is a member of the the dogbane family Apocynaceae and a relative of the North American native milkweed plant that has been making headlines for being the host plant of the iconic and much loved Monarch butterfly. In light of the Australia wildfires, I thought I’d highlight a house plant native to that continent, and Hoya carnosa is definitely one that I don’t want to see go down in flames. Plants are too often overlooked as victims of natural and not-so-natural disasters. There are hundreds of different Hoya species and many are native to Australia.
With its alien blooms and waxy prolific leaves, this is a necessary addition to your houseplant collection. It’s easy to propagate with layering, but can take years before regularly producing blooms, at least in my experience.
