Hoya papuana

Lightly rooted cutting of Hoya papuana.
Exact plant.

Hoya papuana is an accepted Hoya species native to Papua New Guinea.

Its botanical history is somewhat unusual. Rudolf Schlechter originally described the plant in 1905 as Physostelma papuanum. He later transferred it to Hoya, publishing the combination Hoya papuana in 1913.

Historical records place the original material in northeastern New Guinea. Schlechter documented the plant growing epiphytically on trees in forest in the Torricelli Mountains, at approximately 500–600 meters elevation.

The flowers are one of the distinctive features documented for the species. Schlechter’s historical treatment describes very short inflorescences producing only one or two broad, bell-shaped flowers. The flowers were recorded as rose-red.

Hoya papuana remains accepted today as a distinct species. Modern New Guinea floristic records classify it as an epiphytic climber native to Papua New Guinea.

Botanical name: Hoya papuana (Schltr.) Schltr.
Basionym: Physostelma papuanum Schltr.
Native range: Papua New Guinea
Original name published: 1905
Transferred to Hoya: 1913
Documented habitat: Epiphytic in forest
Historical locality: Torricelli Mountains, northeastern New Guinea
Notable feature: Few-flowered inflorescences with broad, bell-shaped flowers

A note about this plant: Species-level botanical and historical information above is based on published taxonomic records and Schlechter’s historical treatment of the species. Hoya papuana has been inconsistently identified in cultivation, and plants sold under this name may not necessarily represent the same botanical material. We do not possess original collection, herbarium, or flowering-based identification documentation for our particular cultivated plant and therefore cannot independently confirm its connection to Schlechter’s original Hoya papuana material.