Hoya meliflua Merr. 1918
09/07/2012
Hoya meliflua Merr. 1918 is a tropical wax flower vine from the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), native to the Philippines.
Primarily the tropical plant, with its stunning orange-red flowers, was found on the island of Luzon and has been mistakenly described in 1837 by the Spanish Augustinian friar and botanist Francisco Manuel Blanco (1778 – 1845) as Stapelia meliflua Blanco 1837. The American botanist Elmer Drew Merrill (1876-1956), who was working as a botanist from 1902 until 1923 for the United States Department of Agriculture in the Philippines, identified the tropical plant as a Hoya and changed the botanical name in Hoya meliflua. The name meliflua is derived from the Latin word mellis, means honeydew and fluo, means flow. The flowers produce plenty, nearly black nectar, which stains the hairy flowers. Hoya meliflua blooms in umbels of 10-20 single flowers. Flowering period: June. Hoya meliflua shoots can reach lengths up to about 4 meters.
Flower Photography © Orchids Flowers.com
Image: Hoya meliflua Merr. 1918
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