Although Hoya plants are often thought to be challenging to maintain, this belief is only partially true. Despite their reputation as fickle plants, their distinct and varied foliage makes them worth the additional care and attention needed for their upkeep.
If you have the budget to make a statement, these 21 hard-to-find Hoya plants will provoke some serious houseplant envy.
1. Hoya callistophylla
This climbing vine from Borneo features thick leaves measuring almost 10 inches long and exhibits bold dark-green veins which contrast beautifully with its lime-green leaf coloring.
H. callistophylla also produces sweetly fragrant clusters of white blooms with red and yellow accents on reddish stalks in maturity.
Be sure to prioritize high humidity levels and light watering for long, healthy growth.
- Common Name: Stiff-leaved Hoya
- Average Price: $85-100
- Average Size: 3-5 meters tall, 0.5 meter spread
- Key Features: Large, block-patterned leaves
2. Hoya incrassata
This milkweed plant from Southeast Asia features thick, waxy leaves that secrete a milky sap when damaged.
The leaves have a semi-glossy texture and are mostly bright green with subtle light-green tips and margins.
Under consistently bright, indirect lighting, aromatic clusters of yellow star-shaped flowers will appear like mini bouquets and bloom repeatedly from spring to fall.
- Common Name: Common wax flower
- Average Price: $45-50
- Average Size: 2-3 feet tall, 10 inch spread
- Key Features: Showy yellow blooms, multi-shade foliage
3. Hoya carnosa
Native to India and southern China, this beginner-friendly vine plant looks best when trained to climb a trellis or wreath and features oval deep-green leaves with a glossy sheen.
The fuzzy, baby-pink flowers with burgundy centers are the main event, however, growing in tight clusters to form little blooming umbrellas.
Place H. carnosa in bright south/west-facing windows to encourage healthy blooms.
Check with my complete care guide for Hoya carnosa variegata for growing success tips.
- Common Name: Porcelain flower
- Average Price: $20-35 (more on their cost here)
- Average Size: 12-15 feet long, 1-3 feet spread
- Key Features: Pink flower clusters
4. Hoya retusa
This odd, challenging Hoya species is native to the eastern Himalayas and has foliage resembling flat grass-like stalks with tips that appear as if they have been chopped off.
Scattered among the slender foliage are individual chunky white blooms with a maroon center. H. retusa requires cool night temperatures of 50°F (10°C) to flower successfully.
- Common Name: Grass-leafed Hoya
- Average Price: $17-20
- Average Size: 4 feet long, 3 inch spread
- Key Features: Stick-like foliage, white/maroon blooms
5. Hoya macrophylla
This climbing species from Indonesia has large waxy leaves featuring a stand-out network of pale-green veins against its dark-green coloring – creating the effect of a ridged, 3-D texture.
H. macrophylla needs a strong burst of indirect sunlight and high humidity levels to flourish.
Under ideal conditions, it will also produce dainty pale violet and white blooms in the spring.
- Common Name: Large-leaved Hoya
- Average Price: $20-30
- Average Size: 4-5 feet tall, 3 foot spread
- Key Features: Embossed vein network, violet/white flowers
6. Hoya nummularioides
This Thailand-native vine has flat and featureless olive-green leaves that have a thickened and fuzzy succulent-like texture.
Once or twice a year, the unremarkable foliage is joined by pleasing clusters of pretty white-and-pale-pink blooms with a spicy scent.
H. nummularioides does best in comfortable indoor temperatures and will grow fast with plenty of indirect sunlight.
- Common Name: Yellow corona
- Average Price: $30-35
- Average Size: 1-2 meters long, 30 inch spread
- Key Features: Pink/white flower clusters
7. Hoya krohniana
This graceful Hoya plant hailing from the Philippines has small, heart-shaped leaves growing from a thick and robust long stem vine.
The leaves themselves are dark green and splashed with delicate flecks of silver.
H. krohniana is ideal for hanging baskets in small spaces and prefers an environment of moderate humidity and filtered light from south-facing windows.
- Common Name: Heart-leaf lacunosa
- Average Price: $30-50
- Average Size: 10-12 inches long, 4 inch spread
- Key Features: Dainty, heart-shaped foliage
8. Hoya heuschkeliana
Hoya heuschkeliana is a trailing succulent that cascades with a thick carpet of small light-green leaves with darker green margins.
Hanging baskets are ideal for its waterfall growth habit, though it can also climb well with a moist moss pole (find them here) for support.
Given ideal temperatures of 60°F (15°C) and regular fertilizer from spring through fall, these can produce aromatic bunches of bright pink-and-yellow blooms with a sweet, caramel-like scent.
- Common Name: Hoya heuschkeliana ‘Variegata’
- Average Price: $40-50
- Average Size: 3-4 meters long, 0.5 meter spread
- Key Features: Light-dark green foliage, pink & white blooms
9. Hoya serpens
The H. serpens is an elegant trailing species native to the Himalayas and features charming pairs of small, rounded leaves on the vine with a fuzzy texture and dark-green shades interspersed with dashes of gray.
This fast-growing plant needs careful watering and bright, filtered light to come into its own, and though rare indoors, great care can help to promote a cluster of white star-shaped flowers with a subtly pink center.
- Common Name: Wax flower plant
- Average Price: $90-120
- Average Size: 8-10 feet long, 8 inch spread
- Key Features: Perfectly rounded foliage with gray specks
10. Hoya sigillatis
This stylish, romantic Hoya from Borneo grows in clumps of slender sword-shaped leaves in distinctive grayish-green shades with delicate silver dappling.
Complementing the topside leaf pattern are dusky-pink undersides and clusters of pinkish-tan brown blooms dangling from the stem.
H. sigillatis enjoys aerated soil and strong light conditions to thrive.
- Common Name: Red wax plant
- Average Price: $80-90
- Average Size: 0.5-1 meters long, 15-20 inch spread
- Key Features: Mottled gray-green leaves, pink/brown flowers
11. Hoya australis
This Australian-native Hoya species is a rapidly-growing climbing vine with pointed oval leaves of white to light or dark green depending on the variety.
Its wide, silky leaves can appear golden yellow in strong lighting conditions.
H. australis performs best in moderate humidity and temperatures no lower than 50°F and with good care can produce clusters of white star-shaped blooms accented with hot pink.
- Common Name: Wax vine
- Average Price: $30-40
- Average Size: 10-12 feet tall, 15 inch spread
- Key Features: Varied foliage coloring, white/pink blooms
12. Hoya polyneura
Originating in India, this trailing vine produces long, heavy branches that drape down, bearing pairs of mid-green leaves with narrow tips and fish-bone veining, earning them their nickname.
The H. polyneura is a drought-tolerant plant and will appreciate light watering and high humidity levels.
Under ideal conditions, small clusters of cream flowers with deep-purple center stars may bloom.
- Common Name: Fish-tailed Hoya
- Average Price: $80-90
- Average Size: 2-3 meters long, 20 inch spread
- Key Features: Prominent leaf vein/shape, cream/purple blooms
13. Hoya leytensis
This small trailing Hoya plant is native to the Philippines and features waxy diamond-shaped leaves of a bright green color and dull matte texture with very subtle leaf veining.
While rarewhen grown indoors, H. leytensis produces pendants of tiny, globular blooms in peach and red shades when grown in consistently bright, indirect sunlight – each one measuring just 5 millimeters in diameter.
- Common Name: Wax plant
- Average Price: $50-60
- Average Size: 8-10 inches long, 4 inch spread
- Key Features: Subtle peach/red blooms
14. Hoya multiflora
Originating from Indonesia, this stunning Hoya species has a strong stem providing upright growth and features long and slender deep-green leaves.
The main attraction however is its hanging cluster of white to yellow blooms with petals that sweep back into a narrow form like they’re shooting through the sky.
Frequent watering and average humidity will help it flourish.
- Common Name: Shooting star Hoya
- Average Price: $25-30
- Average Size: 3-4 meters tall, 1 meter spread
- Key Features: Narrow shooting star-like blooms
15. Hoya sipitangensis
This semi-succulent vining plant is native to Malaysia and has small oval-shaped dark green leaves that acquire a beautiful maroon “blush” when placed in ample sunlight.
H. sipitangensis prefers high humidity levels and well-draining soil to thrive and will tolerate a degree of morning or evening sun to attain its distinctive leaf coloring.
- Common Name: Hoya walliniana
- Average Price: $50-60
- Average Size: 1-2 meters long, 27 inch spread
- Key Features: Deep red “blush” on leaves
16. Hoya merrillii
Native to the Philippines, this stunning Hoya species consists of glossy, paddle-shaped leaves with faint vein detail. Though typically deep green, the leaf edges will achieve a rosy-red tinted under strong light.
H. merrillii performs equally well in hanging baskets or trained to climb with the aid of a support pole and produces sweetly scented pale-yellow blooms.
- Common Name: Variegated wax plant
- Average Price: $70-80
- Average Size: 5-6 feet long, 30 inch spread
- Key Features: Glossy, often red-tinted foliage
17. Hoya kerrii
This delightful Hoya vine features large semi-succulent leaves that are sweetly rounded into perfect emerald green hearts – the 2 ½ inch leaves are even sold as individual cuttings.
Rising between the heart-shaped leaves are clusters of mini pinkish-brown flowers, which are more likely to develop in unfiltered south-facing windows, where H. kerrii can get its preferred 70-90% full sun.
- Common Name: Sweetheart Hoya plant
- Average Price: $40-60
- Average Size: 10-12 feet long, 2 foot spread
- Key Features: Large, heart-shaped foliage, pink-brown blooms
18. Hoya caudata
Originating from Thailand, this pervasive vine has long oval-shaped foliage that is distressed with dark-green and silvery white blotches and specks that almost create the appearance of mold.
Stranger still are its fuzzy star-shaped blooms in pretty clusters of white with red centers that are lined with long hairs around the edges.
- Common Name: Hoya caudata ‘Sumatra’
- Average Price: $70-80
- Average Size: 2-3 meters long, 0.8 foot spread
- Key Features: Silver/green variegated leaves, hairy flowers
19. Hoya sp. ‘Sunrise’
A rare hybrid of Hoya lacunosa and Hoya obscura, Hoya ‘Sunrise’ is a climbing vine of variegated glossy green and burgundy-colored leaves – the latter of which highlight the intricate network of veins, creating a gorgeous pattern.
Keep this Hoya happy in very bright light from south-facing windows and the high humidity of a kitchen or bathroom space.
- Common Name: Hoya wax vine
- Average Price: $45-60
- Average Size: 8-9 feet tall, 0.5 foot spread
- Key Features: Variegated green and burgundy foliage
20. Hoya wayetii
This highly distinctive Hoya species derives from the Philippines and features long and narrow canoe-shaped leaves of a thick, semi-succulent nature.
The leaves themselves are bright green with darkened margins that can redden in especially bright light.
In ideal conditions, H. wayetii will send out clusters of deep-burgundy blooms with a lightly sweet scent.
- Common Name: Hindu rope plant
- Average Price: $75-90
- Average Size: 2.5 feet long, 1.3 foot spread
- Key Features: Narrow, variegated foliage
Read: 12 Causes of Hindu Rope Plant Dying & How To Revive It
21. Hoya curtisii
A miniature creeping vine from Southeast Asia, H. curtisii features rounded spade-shaped leaves with an attractive variegated pattern of dark green with silver and purple streaks.
Its bushy, compact growth makes it ideal to trail from hanging baskets or as desktop cover in small home spaces.
Anticipate webs of fragrant pale-green blooms but only when placed in bright light conditions.
- Common Name: Hoya aloha
- Average Price: $30-40
- Average Size: 3-4 inches tall, 1 foot spread
- Key Features: Variegated silver/purple foliage, lime-green flowers
Conclusion
To summarize, these uncommon Hoya plants combine colorful star-shaped bouquets with intriguing foliage styles that range from cute heart-shaped succulents to wiry, rampant stalks.
Depending on your space, you can let them cascade from shelves and hanging baskets or truly show off distinctive leaves in topiary-style wreaths and climbing poles.
If you bag one, prioritize its ideal lighting needs above all else to bring the best out of it.