Hoya lacunosa 'Asami' (Inner Variegated)

Unrooted cutting of Hoya lacunosa 'Asami'.
Three to five nodes.

Hoya lacunosa 'Asami' (Inner Variegated) is an unusual reverse-variegated expression of the well-known Hoya lacunosa 'Asami', with much tighter internodes.

The classic 'Asami' is generally recognized for outer variegation, with green through the center of the leaf and cream-to-yellow coloring along the margins. In this form, the pattern is essentially reversed: the lighter cream, yellow, or yellow-green variegation develops through the center of the leaf while darker green remains around the outer edge.

The pattern can vary considerably from leaf to leaf. Some leaves may show only a narrow pale stripe through the center, while others develop much broader areas of yellow or cream.

There is an interesting story behind our particular plant. Our original Hoya lacunosa 'Asami' was the standard outer-variegated form. Several years ago, while growing in our collection, it began producing inner-variegated growth instead. We have kept this reverse form in our collection since then.

We are not the only growers to encounter inner-variegated 'Asami'. Plants with the same reversed pattern are now circulated internationally under names including Hoya lacunosa 'Asami' Inner Variegated and 'Asami Reverse'. Whether all of these plants originated through the same mutation or represent genetically identical material is not documented.

Botanical background: Hoya lacunosa
Name in cultivation: 'Asami'
Form: Inner Variegated / Reverse
Original form of our plant: Outer Variegated 'Asami'
Notable features: Petite foliage with cream-to-yellow central variegation surrounded by darker green margins

Please note that the amount, placement, and color of the variegation can vary considerably from leaf to leaf. Future growth may contain more green or more pale variegation, and its exact appearance cannot be guaranteed.

A note about this plant: Information concerning 'Asami', the Inner Variegated / Reverse form, and its horticultural naming was gathered from publicly available online sources. The change from outer-variegated to inner-variegated growth described above was observed directly on our own plant several years ago. Similar inner-variegated 'Asami' plants are now widely circulated by other growers, but we have not found original breeder or genetic documentation explaining whether these plants share the same mutation or provenance and cannot independently confirm or deny those details.