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Hoya Sipitangensis – All You Need To Know

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We have covered many beautiful plants on this site, most of them having appealing striations, magnificent blooms, and unique herbage.

Plants are a world in themselves; if you love gardening, you would know that Hoya Sipitangensis is one of the most stunning and elegant plant genera out there.

Hoya Plants

Hoya is a massive plant genus with more than 200 to 300 species worldwide. Most of them originate from the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. Some are exceptionally fast growers, while some are relatively slow.

If you are familiar with this plant genus, you would feel the same vibe from all members of the species. Hoyas maintain their style throughout the family.

Branded with dark-green: climbing, vining, trailing foliage, and lovely sweet-scented star-shaped flowers, these plants are the go-to for anyone interested in the business.

Although they show diversity in characters moving from one species to another, they mostly have the same basics. Most of them have waxy leaves and are called “Wax vines.” Almost all Hoyas bloom; they have tiny, star-shaped flowers that group together in the form of an umbel.

They can make gorgeous hanging baskets. Most of them are indoor plants, serving an attractive display in your home.

Today, we bring to you one of the rarest plants of the genus, Hoya Sipitangensis.

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Hoya Sipitangensis

Hoya Sipitangensis is a small-leafed light green buddy that turns dark green when it matures. The plant also shows a red hue if disposed to frequent sunlight.

The most beautiful part of the plants is the flowers. Hoya Sipitangensis have velvety white, porcelain, star-shaped sweet-smelling flowers.

If we look at them deeply, they are packed with subtle details. The flower’s core looks like pure gold, fenced by a deep red border and transparent petals. All of this, placed on a cushion of the white pillow, looks breathtaking.

They literally look like candies,

Hoya Sipitangensis
Image Via Pinterest.

1. Classification

Family: Dogbane family, Apocynaceae.
Genus: Hoya.
Species: Sipitangensis.

2. Hoya Sipitangensis Characteristic Features

  • The name Sipitangensis comes from the birthplace of the plant: Sipitang, Sabah, Malaysia. However, this report confirms that the species’ native range is N. & NW. Borneo.
  • It is commonly known as Hoya Walliniana, but there is a conflict; Christine Burton says that both are the same plants, and Kloppenburg argues that flowers in Walliniana are smaller than the other.
  • Hoya Sipitangensis is an epiphytic plant having tiny leaves that look thin, but if you touch them, they are actually on the thick semi-succulent side. Early on, leaves appear limy green with little silvery patches, turning dark green later. If you had grown your plant in the sun, the leaves would have taken on a violet red tint.
Hoya Sipitangensis 2
Image Via Pinterest.
  • Flowers of Hoya Sipitangensis are one of a kind; they are pretty fascinating if you see them for the first time.
    They are round, and each flower is about 6 mm. There are 25-30 flowers in each umbel, and they have a faint sweet fragrance that gets stronger in the evening. Like all other hoyas, these flowers also form spurs. They closely resemble those of Hoya Rebecca and Hoya Sunrise. These have a pink cushion for the flowers instead of white.

Flowers keep up for about a week, so you don’t get much time for a proper gaze.

  • These are vining species, so they look premium in hanging baskets with their vines trailing down.
    Pro tip: Don’t cut off long tendrils while pruning; more leaves and flowers grow out from them.
  • It is a rare hoya, and it should be a must to buy if you see a Hoya Sipitangensis for sale.
  • It is a bit tricky to take care of the Sipitangensis species at first, but once it matures, it just picks up the pace.

On that note, let’s look at a brief caring guide.

3. Caring Guide For Hoya Sipitangensis

Don’t subject it to direct sun right away if you just bought the plant.

It is the same for every kind of plant; if you want to house them outdoors, let them adapt to your natural habitat. When they mature a little, you can place them out in sunlight.

Again, this doesn’t mean putting them straight under the bright sun. This thing can burn up the foliage. Always use a sunshade or a garden net to protect them from harsh environments.

First of all,

Humidity

Hoya Sipitangensis NEEDS high humidity. By this, I mean that it cannot survive anything below 60 percent.

As tropical areas, like Borneo, have humidity levels of 70 to 85 percent annually. Therefore, the plants innate to these regions would not endure dry conditions.

So, unluckily, you would not be able to keep this one outdoors.

If you live in 40 to 50 percent humidity, you must use a humidifier even if you leave the plant indoors.

The best ways to cope with these situations are to group all the moisture-loving plants altogether, weekly misting, and move critical ones to places like a kitchen or a bathroom.

Temperature

In the expanses of Southeast Asia, Borneo is the third-largest island, with temperatures ranging between 27° to 32° C (80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout the year.

Thus, if a plant is found initially in these areas, it would not survive cold conditions.

And it turns out to be accurate, as Hoya Sipitangensis is native to these regions. It thrives in warm, humid conditions, giving it a fresh look.

The lowest acceptable temperature for plants in warm regions is 70° F; Plants grow better at90°F for extended periods.

It can handle temperature down to 15°C (60°F) and suffers continually above 35°C (95°F). It is best to keep the temperature between 20 to 30 degrees Celsius.

In winter, it can naturally bear morning sunlight.

Lighting

Hoyas love indirect bright sunlight. It is best to place them in front of a southeast-facing window so that they get that nice filtered daylight.

You can also put them at least 3-4 feet away from an eastside window if you live in humid environments. As extended periods of sunlight can cause an increased rate of transpiration.

You can also nourish them with lots of artificial lighting. You have to place these plants indoors most of the time, so artificial lights are the best preference. They can also bear a bit of shade, as in noon or afternoon, so you don’t need to turn the artificial lights before that time if your plant gets enough light in the morning.

Less light affects a plant’s growth and stresses the plant towards dormancy. Hence, it is sometimes better to strain the plant with extra light.

Also, remember that you cannot witness the beautiful red hue unless you give your Hoya Sipitangensis a good glow.

Watering

Hoyas’ species seek much water during the growing seasons of summer and spring. Please make sure you keep them moist with water, not soaking wet.

I have mentioned a dozen times before that root rot is the major problem most beginners face. There are two main reasons for roots to rot:

  • First, the soil mixture is too heavy for the plant, having a large amount of silty clay that retains lots of water and leaves the roots drenched in a pool of water.
  • Second, Overwatering.

Just wait for the top third of the soil to dry before watering it again. You can effortlessly check the dampness by sticking your finger into the dirt. If it entirely dries up to 2 to 3 inches, give it another shot of hydration.

During winter, do not water as much as you do in warm conditions; keep it in a humid environment. That would do the work.

Here’s another Pro tip: “Leaves express their desire.”

Leaves express their desire Hoya Sipitangensis
Image Via Reddit.

If they turn yellow, it means you are overwatering. If they get thin or wrinkled, it means they need more water than before.

A fun fact about Hoya Sipitangensis is that it can absorb moisture from the surroundings, so if you keep them in 80 to 90 percent humidity all the time, you don’t need to water them quite often.

Shedding leaves can be a consequence of lousy water timings, so try to adjust the schedule if you face such a problem.

Best Soil Mixture For Hoyas

Most Hoya plants like rich, a bit heavy, and rough soil mixture, but Hoya Sipitangensis loves a perfectly draining soil in which it can breathe without difficulty.

Here’s the combination:

  • First, make a superb potting mix by adding a few grains of perlite, a small amount of peat with some organic material into a regular potting mix; this creates one-third of the complete blend.
  • Second, Add one-third of perlite.
  • Fill the rest area with barks; this plant is epiphytic and would love a barkier mix. You can use orchid bark or coconut husks. Both of them work great.
  • You can also include a small amount of horticultural grit or charcoal.

This thing ultimately results in a light and dry mixture that can keep a good amount of air flowing through the roots and save the plant from many problems.

Hoya Sipitangensis Propagation

The best and the most common way of propagating most plants is by stem cutting. Same goes for Hoya Sipitangensis.

To get a clean cutting and to root it afterward, follow the following steps:

  • Pick a suitable vine having 6 to 7 leaves on it.
  • Find out leaf nodes on the bottom third portion.
  • Remove the leaves from a few nodes to make them ready for rooting.
  • From here, you either stick it directly into the soil, or you can wait for the roots to grow in water and then transfer it into the mix.
  • Keep the soil moist for the first 2-3 weeks of propagating and take good care of the plant during this time.

Repotting the plant each year removes the need for fertilizers. It restores all the necessary nutrients needed by the plant.

The looks of this plant make it a good choice for gifts. You can lend some to your friends or family afterraising more of them.

Pests And Diseases

Spider mites, thrips, and scales mainly infect Hoya Sipitangensis.

You should first manually remove the bugs by using pressurized water. After that, spray the plant with horticultural insecticides, neem oil, or soap sprays.

Root rot kills the plant quicker, so remember not to overwater them. A good soil mixture reduces the chance of this occurring.

Regularly observe your Hoyas for transformations, primarily changes in color or growth. If there are no new growths, you are probably leaving your plant dry for too long or devoid of nutrients.

  • Less light impedes Hoyas from blooming.
  • Underwatering turns their leaves yellow.

Conclusion

I have added all the essential information regarding Hoyas in this article, particularly Hoya Sipitangensis.

To conclude the talk, I would like to say that if you are a learner, this plant can be the best fit for you.

Taking care of this plant can be a little trickyat first, but once you get used to it, everything picks up the pace.

With that said, please keep us updated with your comments on today’s report. Also, make sure to share this with your friends and family.

Regards.