Hoya memoria (Memoria Hoya)

Hoya memoria is a compact, trailing or climbing evergreen species in the Apocynaceae family native to the Philippines. It has slender stems and small, narrow, fleshy green leaves often marked with irregular silvery flecks, making it attractive even when not in bloom. The species produces rounded umbels of numerous small, fragrant flowers and is well suited to hanging baskets, trellises, and other supports. Hoya memoria has an interesting history. The species was collected by Dale Kloppenburg and Ted Green in 1981 from a fence at the Philippine Memorial Garden in Manila and was formally described by Kloppenburg in 2004; its name refers to the place where the original plant was found. It was long circulated in cultivation under the incorrect name Hoya gracilis, which is actually a different species.

The small, fragrant flowers are pinkish red and pubescent, with a dark red corona tipped yellow. Their appearance changes remarkably after opening. Freshly opened flowers have a distinctly three-dimensional, crown-like corolla, with five lobes projecting forward and outward. The lobes then rapidly reflex backward; in mature flowers they are folded so far behind the corona that the blooms appear as compact, fuzzy pink-red balls. This transformation can make young and mature flowers in photographs look surprisingly different. Hoya memoria grows best in bright filtered light and a loose, well-drained potting mix, with moderate watering after the substrate has partially dried. It prefers warm, humid conditions but should not remain constantly wet. Hardy in USDA Zones 11-12, it is most often grown as a container or indoor plant in cooler climates.