sam@mtuxo.UUCP (d.lewan) (10/11/85)
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** In my small indoor garden I had, until recently, three species of Hoya, H. carnosa, H. carnosa "Hindu rope" and H. bella. A few days ago I found yet another species at a local shop. It is obviously a Hoya, but the only further identification I could get was "shooting star". It's a thicker vine than H. carnosa with slightly smaller leaves that aren't as fleshy either; they are colored a deep green--almost like citrus. The flowers grow in the expected clusters from short woody stems. The one I got had tendrils just 18 inches log and five stems for flowers. The flowers themselves are striking; "shooting star" is an apt name. They bear the 5 way mirror symmetry we all know of Hoyas and are as waxy as you'd expect. The petals are white and the centers light yellow green. They are, however, not essentially flat, but in fact somewhat invertedly conical, giving a strong image of a star shooting through the air with the center forging ahead while the outer parts are just being dragged on. Now, while it's always nice to add to a collection and show the similitude and variety in a genus, it's also nice to know more about the plant. Can anyone help me with a latin name for the species? My current conjecture is Hoya multiflora, but the image is so vague now I can't be sure. Doug Lewan (...!ihnp4!mtuxo!sam)