The tag said Bilobata. It also said DS-70. And Tsangii. And sp aff Burtoniae. I ruled out the middle two right away, which meant it could be the first, but was probably the last. Whichever way it turned out I was fine with. I just wanted to know which one it was.
When he came home, I got him out of the coco peat and into bark and sphagnum. He wasn’t happy about that at first, but after a bit he settled in and put out a bit of new growth. Last summer he got lush and long, but still no blooms. This is his second summer and the first time he’s bloomed. So now we know it’s Hoya sp aff burtoniae.
You can’t identify a Hoya with certainty until it blooms; too many factors can affect leaf growth, so you can’t rely on leaves for ID. I had to wait for blooms to be sure.
And he seems to be making a point about the name thing. I was happy when one peduncle formed and then bloomed, but when I checked today there are seven more peduncles in various stages of development. This is so cool. I’m feeling a little giddy.
I’ll keep you posted.
