Porcelain....Hoya coronaria

Along a coastal road in Northern Johore, we found flowering vines of Hoya coronaria curling about some coastal vegetation. The hairy stem and leaves are coarse to touch and the vine itself is quite thick, about 1.5cm in diameter.

While the plastic-like flowers are attractive, this vine needs plenty of space and blooms infrequently. This, unfortunately, is generally true of species in the Eriostemma Section from which this plant belongs. To induce bloom, place it in full sun ; some people also suggested putting lime in the medium or subject it to water stress.