Hoya serpens

Unrooted cutting of Hoya serpens.
Three to five nodes.

Hoya serpens is a wonderfully miniature Hoya species from the Himalayan region, known for its tiny, fuzzy foliage and delicate silver markings.

The leaves are small, rounded to oval, and covered with fine hairs that give them a softly textured appearance. Mature foliage is generally deep green to grey-green and may develop scattered silver flecks or light splash. The combination of tiny leaves, short spacing, and fuzzy texture gives Hoya serpens a very distinctive look even among other small-leaved Hoyas.

Hoya serpens was formally published by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1883. Its documented native range includes Nepal and the eastern Himalaya, as well as the Andaman Islands. Unlike many tropical lowland Hoyas, this species is associated with cooler mountainous environments within part of its natural range.

The flowers are almost as charming as the foliage. Mature plants produce clusters of small, very fuzzy flowers with pale greenish corollas, a white-to-cream corona, and subtle pink coloration toward the center. A sweet fragrance is also commonly reported in cultivation.

Hoya serpens is also one of the parents of the well-known hybrid Hoya 'Mathilde', created from Hoya carnosa × Hoya serpens.

Botanical name: Hoya serpens Hook.f.
Native range: Central and eastern Himalaya and Andaman Islands
First published: 1883
Notable features: Tiny rounded fuzzy leaves with natural silver flecking and softly fuzzy flowers

Please note that leaf size, coloration, and the amount of natural silver spotting can vary between leaves and under different growing conditions.

A note about this plant: Species-level botanical information above is based on published taxonomic records and publicly available botanical and horticultural sources. We do not have original wild-collection or provenance documentation for our particular cultivated plant and cannot independently confirm or deny its connection to any specific wild population.