FRATERNA Official bulletin for "International Hoya Association" 1st. Quarter 1992 ISSN 1055-4564 2 7 m V f ■ At H.vl INTERNATIONAL HOYA ASSOCIATION (Formerly Hoya Society-West Coast) P.O. Box 5130 Central Point, OR 97502 (503) 664-6808 A Non-Profit Organization Bulletin published quarterly. Present rates for a 1 year membership, which includes our quarterly publication are $12.00 per year, $15.00 per year overseas. All overseas mail is sent by airmail. Officers And Editors President Dale Kloppenburg Vice President John Scoville Secretary^ reasurer Ann Wayman Editor Ann Wayman Board Of Directors William J. Wayman Paula Lake Lina Paul Rudy Bachmann Wayne Scott Gary Raatz Chuck Everson (Chairman) Editorial Board Mary B. Welch 508 East 117th St Jenks, OK 74037 Advertising We have advertising available at the following rates: Full page camera ready ad $45.00 per issue Half page camera ready ad $30.00 per issue Quarter page camera ready ad $20.00 per issue 1/8th page camera ready ad $15.00 per issue You may also send us your handwritten or typed ad on a plain sheet of paper and one of your business cards and we will lay out your ad for you. There will be a one time set-up fee on this extra service of $25.00 to be added to our research fund. A copy of your ad will be sent to you for proofing before final printing in our newsletter. The deadline for all advertising is: February 15 for the March issue May 1 5 for the June issue August 15 for the September issue November 15 for the December issue We also accept advertising on a per year basis. You may deduct 10% for the same ad running consecutively in four issues. Payment in advance, Please!. Back Issues We now have the thirteen original issues of the Hoya Society -West Coast newsletter bound as one publication. The price of this bound text is $25.00 U.S. and $55.00 shipped airmail over- seas. Due to the extra pages and pictures in our new publication "Fraterna", we must, out of necessity, increase our prices for back issues of "Fraterna" to $4.00 per issue, $6.00 per issue shipped airmail overseas. Jackets Remember, we have some very beautiful jackets available with our ‘International Hoya Association’ emblem emblazoned across the back. These are wonderfully warm, fully lined nylon jackets in a dozen gorgeous colors. We also have tee shirts, and some of the girls are even sporting sweat shirts with our emblem. Colleen Christian is in charge of all jacket and tee shirt orders. Colleen informed me that our price on the jackets has been increased by $1.50 by the manufacturer, so please write for the latest prices before sending your money. Colleen Christian, 260 Greenleaf, Eugene, Or. 97404 MY NEIGHBORS ROSES The roses red upon my neighbors vine Are owned by him, but they are also mine. His was the cost, and his the labor, too, But mine as well as his the joy, their loveliness to view. They bloom for me and are for me as fair As for the man who gives them all his care. Thus, I am rich, because a good man grew A rose-clad vine for all his neighbors view. I know from this that others plant for me, And what they own, my joy may also be. So why be selfish, when so much that’s fine Is grown for you, upon your neighbor’s vine. ABRAHAM L. GRUBER 1 San Diego Christmas Meeting 1991 The local San Diego chapter of IHA, held its second an- nual Christmas meeting at the King’s Inn in San Diego, California, and everyone had a wonderful time. The weather cooperated nicely, the dinner was a catered buffet extravaganza and over fifty members present had lots to lis- ten to and say. The festive occasion started off with report highlights from our chairperson, Harriette Schapiro, that included the growth and popularity of the local chapter and the pos- sibility of a larger meeting facility. Dieter Paul presented a cheery treasurer’s report and Joseph Kraatz brought us up- to-date with the library happenings. The library director passed out a list of hardy hoyas and an announcement con- cerning the VHS meeting tapes numbering four (prior to this current meeting). These tapes should be of value to those unable to attend, but would still like to see the various events of the meetings. Chuck Everson set a preliminary date of March 29, 1992 for the next meeting where there will be a panel discussion headed by Lee Phelps and Francis Wilkes that will deal with potting mixes. This should turn out to be another informa- tive meeting with involvement by everyone. Dale Kloppenburg introduced his long-time friend and cohort, Ted Green, owner of Green: Plant Research Nur- sery in Hawaii, who recently returned from a trip that in- cluded Borneo, The Philippines, and Australia. Their relationship goes back almost sixty years starting in Fresno, California, and illustrates their common interests in art, flying, schooling, and botany. Both served in the Navy during the WWII conflict and in 1981 got together for a trip to the South Pacific including collecting from various places especially the Singapore to Kuala Lumpur area of Malaya. Ted wasted no time in getting everyone involved in his slide presentation focusing on hoyas and dischidias, found during his trek through the jungle, but there were shots of several other plant species of which many are on the en- dangered species list. Hard to understand why something that is growing so profusely is rare and endangered, but that is the name of the game! We had still another chance to view the infamous fence of Professor Juan Pancho at his home in Los Banos, not too far from Manila, The Philippines. Ted’s photos were excel- lent and coupled with his dialogue, most informative. As a special treat, Ted showed several shots of the David Liddle Nursery growing areas in Australia. Of particular note were the small pots of hoyas and dischidias, and the high trailing areas for the plants. As David does extensive traveling in his job, much of this maintenance falls upon David’s wife Iris May, whose initials (IML) are well known through the botanical and horticulture world. Now, with all the pictures Ted took, one would certainly imagine that he 2 would have included one of David, but perhaps by being too busy, or out of film, this did not happen. Guess you will have to go back over there Ted! On the subject of pictures, several candid shots, along with the video coverage were made of the whole group. It’s nice, indeed, to see all those happy, smiling faces. It was a real pleasure to greet one of our IHA members from Aurora, Colorado who popped in to share her presence, along with her traveling companion. It was nice conversing with Pat Nichols and learning her growing secrets and problems from a Colorado viewpoint. Drop by anytime Pat, as you and your friend, Linda Bradford, as well as all of our IHA members and friends are always welcome. The afternoon commenced with a free raffle of hoyas and Christmas Cactus, with enough stock for everyone to take home one or two rooted plants. A good time was had by all, with a promise to see each other again at our next regular meeting in three months time. John Scoville Reporter Picture Sponsor John Scoville (Vice President of IHA) is also the sponsor of our spectacular cover photo of the variegated H. kerrii, also known as the Valentine Hoya for its perfectly heart shaped leaves. This particular plant was discovered growing in Thailand. We hope to have a limited number of cuttings available before long. ANNOUNCEMENT The 10th meeting of the SAN DIEGO HOYA GROUP will be held on Sunday afternoon, March 29th, 1992, at Rainbow Gardens Nursery & Bookshop, 1444 E. Taylor St., Vista, California. A "get re-acquainted social hour" will begin at noon, with refreshments, chili, cold cuts, salads, and beverages being served. This is pot-luck style at it’s very best, so, If you would like to bring along one of your specialty dishes, please do! The meeting starts at 1:00-1:30 pm. For those of you who have not attended any of our Hoya meetings, get ready for a special treat! We have a very large semi-enclosed area in front of Rainbow Gardens Bookshop where a crowd of 75 maximum can eat and attend the meeting in a cafe-style atmosphere. Please come and bring an interested friend or two! Make a note on your calendar that the June meeting will be held at the Ecke Building at Quail Gardens, in Encinitas, California-on Sunday, June 28, 1992. The main attraction will be a visit from Dale Kloppenburg with a great slide show on the Bogar area of Indonesia and the different hoyas found throughout that part of the world. For further information, contact Dieter Paul at (619) 432-8640 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE As John reported, we did have a marvelous get-together at Christmas. Now, of course it’s nearing spring, and time to start thinking about the dozens of little chores that we get to side-step during the winter, but must consider once our plants start putting on new growth. It’s always a busy, but happy time. Ann has reported a wonderful response to the "Sponsor a Picture Program", so we will be able to continue featur- ing many of our favorite hoyas, plus some very exciting new discoveries, and some re-discoveries of plants we thought only existed in some long-ago collectors imagination (They really exist folks!). The gorgeous picture on our cover was furnished by one of our members in Thailand, who has done some very ex- tensive collecting in his country, and plans to do even more, now that we have furnished him with the information on what to look for. We also have several new members in Japan who are planning collecting trips soon, and two collector members in China. These are areas that we have received very few specimens from, so I find the future for hoyas very exciting. Dale 3 Insect Life Cycles and Lifestyles Life Cycles Some insects have strange and com- plicated life cycles, but in general, they follow one of two main patterns. Complete metamorphosis. So called because during a resting stage, the im- mature insect is transformed into an adult that looks entirely unlike the im- mature stage. This life cycle begins with the egg. It hatches into a tiny, immature insect-a larva (plural is larvae). All young in- sects are larvae, some are also called by other names: A caterpillar is the larva of a moth or butterfly; a grub is a fat, C- shaped beetle larva; a maggot is a fly larva. As the larvae grow, they shed their skins periodically until they reach max- imum size. Then they are transformed into a resting stage, called a pupa. The pupa is a hardened shell that protects the developing adult inside. To protect themselves during pupation, some lar- vae spin a silken outer case, a cocoon (made by moths and some flies) or chrysalis (spun by butterflies). When the adult has developed fully, it emer- ges from the pupa. When the new adult first appears, it is soft, pliable, and fight colored. Over the next few hours, the wings expand as the insect pumps blood into its veins and the exoskeleton (the insect’s hard outer covering) gradually hardens and darkens as chemical reac- tions take place. Incomplete metamorphosis. So called because the development from immature to adult stage is gradual, without a pupal stage. The insect starts fife as an egg, which hatches into a larva that is often called a nymph. The nymphs shed their skins as they grow, becoming more like an adult with each molt. They get progres- sively larger, their bodies lengthen, and wing pads develope where future wings will be. The last molt is to the adult stage, with fully formed wings and reproductive organs. Lifestyles Insects also have a wide range of feed- ing habits; some insects are vegetarians, while others are meat-eaters. Herbivores. Literally plant eaters, these are usually pests, because they chew or suck on leaves, stems, or roots for food. Usually an individual insect must eat a relatively large amount of plant material to get enough protein and other nutrients to continue its development. Parasites. Parasitic insects usually lay their eggs inside other insects. When the eggs hatch, the parasitic in- sect larva fives and grows inside the host insect until the host eventually dies. Then, the parasite goes through its pupal stage inside or attached to the outside of the dead host until the adult emerges. Entomologists like to call in- sect parasites parasitoids to distinguish them from insects such as lice or fleas that parasitize animals. A parasite larva usually kills one host as it develops, in contrast with a predator which kills many. Predators. Predators eat several and often hundreds of other insects during their fife cycles. They are like lions, needing to kill many prey to feed themselves. In con- trast, the larva of a parasite usually only kills one host insect in the course of its fife cycle. Predators are usually fast-moving in- sects with swift reflexes to enable them to catch other insects. Some insects such as hover flies, aphid midges, and lacewings, me predators in the larval stage only, while others, such as lady beetles, are predators as both larvae and adults. Is It Friend or Foe? You must be able to identify the in- sects in your garden if you’re going to take an active hand in balancing then- populations with a combination of traps, purchased biological controls, and sprays. Many insects look pretty much the same to most people, yet they may be different species with complete- ly different roles. For example, hover flies, whose larvae are valuable aphid predators, look a lot like wasps. Rove beetles, important ground-dwelling predators, are often mistaken for ear- wigs. Very few of the species you see in your garden are pests (it’s estimated that less than 1 percent of all insect species axe pests). If you don’t know what a bug is, leave it alone, because chances are it’s one of the good guys. Beneficial insects are often found at the scene of the crime because their after the pests, too. They’re attracted to the odor of the pest and sometimes by the smell of damaged leaves, which tell them where to start searching for their prey. It’s especially important to identify the insects caught in sticky and pheromone traps, because a pile of dead insects is no assurance that harm- ful insects are being eliminated. Killing significant numbers of beneficial bugs is needlessly destructive and makes pest control even more difficult. Cor- rect identification is also important when you are using traps as monitoring tools to time sprays or releases of bio- control agents. This said, there are several sources of information to help you identify the in- sects in your yard and garden. First get a good insect guide with color photographs (a number are fisted in :The Chemical-Free Gardener’s Library" on page 431). Be sure to read descriptions carefully, including the size and recorded distribution area to see if a species is likely to live in your area. When identifying an insect, pay special attention to details such as an- tennae, legs, and mouthparts. Don’t go by color alone unless the insect has a very distinctive pattern. Local Cooperative Extension offices and state land grant universities often pub- lish excellent guides to local crop pests, which are very useful. Unfortunately, there are very few guides that show beneficial species. The illustrations on these pages show several common beneficial insects*. If you’re not certain whether an insect is friend or foe, take or send the specimen, well-protected in a closed vial (not loose in an envelope or squashed in a plastic bag!) to a local ex- tension agent, university entomologist, diagnostic laboratory, or local garden center. 4 The following is a rundown of some of the beneficial species you may find in your gardens: Flies: Believe it or not, there are numerous beneficial flies: pollinators, predators, and parasites. Some, such as the big, bristly, dark gray tachinid flies, lay their eggs or larvae directly on caterpillars and other pests. These are very important wild predators because female tachinids often lay thousands of eggs each. Other flies, such as the tiny, delicate aphid midge, lay their eggs on leaves among aphid colonies so that when the eggs hatch, the tiny voracious, orange maggots are near their food supply. Flies have only one pair of wings, instead of two pairs like other in- sects, hence the scientific name of the group, Diptera, which literally means "two-wings." There are many beelike flies and flies with yellow and black stripes that look like wasps. Count the wings to tell the difference: Flies have two wings; wasps have four. True bugs: There really is a group of insects called true bugs, to distinguish them from the generic term "bugs" used for any insect. True bugs generally have somewhat leathery forewings held crossed one over the other flat against the body, each with a membranous sec- tion at the tip; their second pair of wings (the hindwings) are membranous and folded under the forewings. True bugs also have a characteristic triangular shape on the top of their thoraxes (the middle body section, behind the head). They have sharp needlelike beaks for sucking their food. The pests in this group pierce plant tissue to drink sap; the predatory species pierce their prey to drink blood. Most beneficial true bugs are general predators of a variety of soft-bodied insects, such as aphids, beetle larvae, leafhopper nymphs, small caterpillars, spider mites, and thrips. While they don’t always confine themselves to pests (and they can be pretty cannibalistic when they are hungry), they are extremely important predators of pests in agricultural sys- tems. Some predatory bugs, like assas- sin bugs, ambush bugs, minute pirate bugs, or spined soldier bugs, live up to their names, but there are others, like damsel bugs or flower bugs, whose names belie their ferocity. Beetles: Everyone recognizes the common orange lady beetles with black spots, but there are many other benefi- cial species in the lady beetle family. This family is just one of many families of beetles, each containing hundreds of species of hardy beneficial predators. Beetles are most easily recognized by their extremely hard forewings that serve as rigid wing covers for the membranous underwings. Some, such as certain species of weevils, have fused wing covers and can’t fly. All beetles have chewing mouthparts. Most are medium-size to large insects ranging from 1/8 inch to more than 1 inch long. Ground beetles are large, blue-black, swift predators of snail and slug eggs, root maggots, root weevil grubs, cut- worms, and small potato beetle larvae. Some, like the fiery searcher, run up trees to capture armyworms or tent caterpillars. Rove beetles are impor- tant predators and parasites of pests that spend at least part of their life cycles in the soil. Some rove beetles climb plants at night to eat aphids, and others parasitize cabbage root mag- gots. With their slightly elongated bodies and short, stubby top wings, rove beetles look more like earwigs than beetles. Other important groups of beetles are the small, hemispherical hister beetles, the ferocious, iridescently colored tiger beetles, the familiar fireflies that eat slug and snail eggs and insect larvae, as well as the leathery winged soldier beetles that eat aphids and caterpillars. Wasps: Although you probably im- mediately think of the yellow jacket wasps that wield a painful sting, there me other families of wasps (including ants, bees, and sawflies). Most wasps have thin waists between their thoraxes and abdomens; their wings are clear and membranous. Yellow jackets and mud-dauber wasps are excellent predators that feed caterpillars, flies, and grubs to their offspring. The parasitic wasps are the most im- portant group of native biological con- trol insects. There are many different families of parasitic wasps, but most are in three main families: chalcids, braconids, and ichneumonids. They range in size from minute Trichogram- ma wasps, as small as the point of a pen- cil, to some huge, inky black ich- neumonids with bodies 1 1/2 inches long, trailing several inches of thread- like ovipositor (this looks like a stinger, but it is perfectly harmless). Parasitic wasps inject their eggs inside a host in- sect, and the larvae grow by absorbing liquid nourishment through their skins. Some, such as the aphid parasites, use the mummified shell of the aphid to protect their own pupae. Larvae of other wasp species wiggle out and spin a cocoon outside the dead host. You may have seen dead caterpillars with small white cocoons clustered on them or rigid mummified aphids on leaves; these are all the handiwork of parasitic wasps. Lacewings: The brown or green, al- ligator-like larvae of several species of native lace-wings (also called golden- eyed flies or antiions) prey on a variety of small, soft insects, including aphids, moth eggs, leafhoppers, scale insects, thrips, and small caterpillars. The adults are delicate, green or brown in- sects (1 inch long) and have relatively large, transparent wings marked with a characteristic network of veins. Predatory mites: Mites and their relatives, the spiders, are not insects; they are arachnids. Adult mites and spiders have eight legs, whereas insects have six legs. Predatory mites are ex- tremely small (less than 1/50 inch long) but are very important predators. They have sucking mouthparts to pierce their prey and generally move very quickly. They control many kinds of plant-feed- ing mites, such as spider mites, cyclamen mites, or rust mites. Some species are effective predators of thrips and fungus gnats. The best-known predatory mites, those in the family Phytoseiidae, mostly live in foliage, eating leaf-feeding pests. Other impor- tant predatory mites live in the top layer of the soil, feeding on everything from fungi to fly larvae. Spiders: Unfortunately, many people are horrified by spiders, which are some of the best predators around (the few truly poisonous species are ex- tremely rare). We are most familiar with the relatively large, wingless, eight- legged creatures that spin webs, but there are many other kinds of spiders. Some species spin thick silk funnels, some hide in burrows and snatch in- sects that wander too close, others leap on their prey using a silk thread as a dragline. The more spiders you can tolerate in your garden, the better, be- cause they consume large numbers of insects. Lady Beetles Convergent lady beetles ( Hip - podamia convergens), the species sold, are so names because they spend much 5 of the year clustered in large groups. They eat very little, living off their stored fat. In winter, these beetle 1 clusters move to mountainous areas to overwinter. In early spring, they be- come very active, fly long distances, feed voraciously on aphids, and lay their eggs. In late spring, they return to their resting state. Collectors scoop up resting lady beet- les while they are clustered; they are not reared in insectaries. So when you put them out in your garden in spring, their instinct is to wake up and migrate. They will only feed and reproduce on-site if they are prevented from leaving, as they would be if released in a green house. In fact, the green house is the one place where purchased lady beetles are a good investment for the home gar- dener. If you release lady beetles in your green house, be sure the vents are screened. An order of 1,000 beetles should be plenty for most home green houses. Home gardeners may think their lady beetle release was a success because they see lady beetles in their garden after they release purchased beetles. However, native lady beetles are also migrating at this time and finding aphid i colonies: The beetles in their garden are more likely to be migrating wild beetles than purchased ones.. A hint: If you can buy lady beetles that have been collected in the spring, when they are ready to start feeding, they are much more likely to stay in the garden and eat aphids. Praying Mantids Egg cases of the Chinese praying mantid (Tenodera aridifolia sinensis) are widely available through garden suppliers, but they are another ques- tionable buy for the home garden. Man- tids are fascinating insects-amazing and entertaining to watch, they make interesting pets-but they eat any insect they can catch, including each other. I have seen them eat lacewings, which are native aphid predators, and but- terflies that stray too close to flowers hiding the mantid. Also, praying man- tids have only one generation each year, and so cannot increase their numbers in response to increasing pest popula- tions as many other predators do. Another drawback is that about 90 per- I cent of the young mantids die shortly after they hatch if there is not enough prey readily available. Decollate Snails Predatory decollate snails (Rumina decollata) eat brown garden snails, decaying vegetable matter, and, if those food sources are scarce, living see- dlings and transplants. Therefore, once the brown snails are gone, this predator can become a very serious pest in its own right, particularly because there are no predators that eat decollate snails. These snails are used very suc- cessfully in commercial citrus groves in California where they do no harm to es- tablished trees and provide excellent control of the brown snails. California gardeners may see these snails avail- able for sale from beneficial suppliers, but they are not a wise choice for the home garden. Better Buys in Bugs Many of the popular biocontrol agents have been developed for use in the greenhouse industry; therefore, more of them will be useful in home greenhouses or on houseplants than in the garden. However, when pests such as spider mites or whiteflies occur in a garden or orchard, biocontrol agents can certainly be used successfully. Whitefly Parasitic Wasp Encarsia formosa, a minute parasitic wasp, is usually sold as pupae glued to cards that you can hang on plants. The tiny adults (the size of a pencil point) emerge within one week and lay then- eggs in developing whitefly scales. Protection offered: E. formosa parasitizes both the greenhouse whitef- ly and sweet potato whitefly, a pest that has spread throughout the continent on a wide range of host plants. How to use: Encarsia wasps are most active and successful in warm, bright conditions, so it is better to use them in spring and summer; for whitefly problems in fall and winter, unless you keep your greenhouse quite warm (over 70s F at night), try other whitefly controls (see 35 Common Garden Pests, on page 230, for other control measures for whitefly). Order Encarsia when the very first whitefly appears. If you don’t notice a whitefly problem until there are many adults resting in the tops of your plants, spray with pyrethrum or insecticidal soap to lower the population before releasing parasites. Release at least five parasites per square foot. For a 200-to 500- square-foot greenhouse, or the same area of a garden, a minimum order of 1,000 parasites should be enough if you catch the whitefly early. Space cards evenly throughout the greenhouse or garden. A second release two weeks later is usually necessary. Yellow sticky traps, an effective control for whitefly, are compatible with use of Encarsia be- cause the wasps are not particularly at- tracted to yellow. Spider Mite Predatory Mites These mites are all tiny predators (less than 1/50 inch long) that eat various species of spider mites. All of these predator species can be used in a garden during the summer, but some won’t be hardy enough to overwinter in the colder areas of the country. Protection Offered: Phytoseiulus persimilis is the most widely sold species for spider mite control. However if your greenhouse or garden is very hot in summer (consistently over 90 F) you might have better results with amblyseius californicus, Phytoseiulus longipes, or the high temperature strain of P. persimilis, which is more tolerant of hot conditions. Metaseiulus occiden- talis is an excellent hardy predator for European red mite in apple orchards and berry patches as far north as the Canadian apple-growing regions. Once established, it should only need to be re-released after a severe winter or other disruption to the population. How to use: The predators are usual- ly sold mixed with a granular material, such as bran, vermiculite, or ground corn cobs, or mixed with pieces of leaves. It’s easy to shake the granules or leaf pieces, with mites riding along, onto leaves where spider mite damage exists. A minimum order of 1,000 predators should clean up spider mites in a home greenhouse or garden (200 to 500 square feet). When your order ar- rives, distribute the granules or leaf pieces evenly over the affected plants. The mites are so small you may not be able to spot them in the mixture, but rest assured they will travel between your plants as necessary to find spider mites to eat. Try to keep humidity up and temperatures down in the areas around your plants by misting regular- ly with a hose to encourage the predators. For fruit trees, if European red mite numbers are low and you just want to establish a predator population for fu- 6 ture years, release 50 to 100 per tree; if you want to control an outbreak during the same season, release 1,000 per tree. Aphid Predatory Midge The aphid midge ( Aphidoletes aphidimyza) is an excellent native aphid predator. The midges are sold as pupae; when the small (1/16 inch-long), gray, long-legged flies emerge, they lay eggs near aphid colonies. After two or three days, tiny, bright orange larvae emerge and attack aphids, feeding for four to six days until they are about 1/8 inch long. Then they drop to the ground to pupate for two weeks. Protection offered: Equally useful in greenhouse, garden, or orchard, larvae of this midge eat all kinds of aphids. How to use: I have found that as few as 3 midges per apple tree, released in the spring, as soon as aphids appear, are adequate to control apple aphids for the rest of the season because they get an early start that is later supple- mented by efforts of the local aphid predators. Releasing 3 to 5 midges per infested plant in a greenhouse or gar- den is usually sufficient. A minimum order of 250 should be enough for most home gardens, greenhouses, or or- chards. A second release two weeks later is a good idea. The midges are not likely to succeed in hot, dry, or windy areas unless the garden is well shel- tered and moisture is available from ir- rigation or other water sources. Scale Predators and Parasites The shiny black lady beetles Chilocoms nigritiis and Lindoms lop- thantae are voracious predators of soft scales. Females lay eggs in small clusters under bark or dead scales; the larvae, which look like small brown al- ligators with black spines, attack scales. Their life cycle takes four to five weeks. Several species of parasitic wasps also attack scales. Protection offered: The predatory lady beetles control soft scales on houseplants, ornamental figs, and citrus trees. The parasitic wasps help control scales on houseplants or in greenhouses. The parasites are par- ticular about the species of scale, so exact pest identification is important. Use Metaphycus helvolus on hemis- pherical scale and black scale; Aphytis melinus or Comperiellas bifasciate on California red scale and oleander scale. How to use: Scale infestations usual- ly occur on only a few plants in the house or small greenhouse. The most efficient way to use predators is to cage them on the infested plants for a few weeks. You can make a simple cage out of a large square of lightweight, sheer curtain material. Just drape it over the plants and fasten it loosely at the base of the pot with string. You can put sup- ports around delicate plants to hold the screening away from the foliage. For predatory lady beetles, try a min- imum order (usually several hundred) distributed over infested plants. For control with wasps, order five to ten parasites per infested plant and repeat the same release in two or three weeks. Mealybug Predator and Parasites The mealybug destroyer, Cryp- tolaemus montrouzieri, also called the Australian lady beetle, is a black-and- coral beetle that is an excellent predator of several species of mealybugs. However, demand has out- stripped the supply worldwide in the last few years, making them virtually unobtainable. Several companies are making special efforts to produce more beetles, so supply problems should ease in the future. There are also parasitic wasps that control mealybugs. Protection offered: Three parasitic wasps are also sold separately or in a mixture for mealybug control: Lep- tomastidea abnormis kills citrus mealybugs only, Leptomastix dactylopii controls citrus and long-tailed mealybug, and Anagyrus pseudococci gets citrus, long-t ailed, and obscure mealybugs. How to use: The minimum order of Australian lady beetles two to five beet- les per infested plant) is enough for most gardeners. The beetle larvae are covered with white fluff, similar to the mealybugs they eat, so watch for them moving around among the stationary mealybugs. They leave behind some of the white cottony residues from dead mealybugs: You can wash this residue off leaves later. Parasites work well as a follow-up biocontrol after Australian lady beetles have eaten the bulk of the mealybugs. Release five to ten parasites per in- fested plant or one per 5 square feet a few weeks after releasing the predators. If you aren’t sure what species of mealybug is damaging your plants, order the mixture and apply it at double the suggested rate. Lacewings Lacewings ( Chrysopa carnea and Chrysoperla rufilabrus ) are a good buy for home gardeners because they are hardy and will become established in most areas. They eat small, soft -bodied pests. The adults are 1/2 inch, delicate, beautiful insects with large, netted wings, whereas the larvae are small, al- ligator-like crawlers with large, curved mandibles for capturing their prey. Lacewing larvae eat aphids, mealybugs, and small caterpillars, and in some cases, have been effective con- trols for thrips. How to use: Lacewing larvae are can- nibalistic, so distribute the eggs widely throughout the garden when you get them. Buy the smallest order you can, and apply one to three eggs per plant. Usually one release in the home garden or orchard is sufficient to establish a local population. If you have a severe aphid problem, reduce the population by spraying plants with a strong water spray, and then put out ten eggs per plant to establish a sufficiently large lacewing population. Try to order C. rufilabrus, because it seems to give the best control. Trichogramma Wasps Minute parasitic wasps from the genus Trichogramma have been studied for nearly a century and widely available for controlling pests for many years. These wasps are less then 1/50 inch long. They lay their eggs in the eggs of more than 200 species of moths and butterflies whose larvae eat leaves. The problem for the home gardener has been a lack of information on precisely when releasing Trichogram- ma is effective. Also, the quality of wasps sold has not always been ade- quate. Trichogramma species are not interchangeable; you must buy the species that parasitizes the type of caterpillars you want to control. However, insectaries frequently do not tell you what species they sell. In some cases, insectaries have even accidental- ly mixed up species during the rearing process. Too often, Trichogramma wasps have been sold as a cure-all for many pests, including beetles, that they have not been shown to control. As a result, Trichogramma has a dubious reputa- 7 tion. I have noticed that suppliers are trying harder to explain when the use of these wasps is appropriate and how to * release them successfully. Protection offered: Mass releases of various species of Trichogramma over large areas have successfully controlled orchard, corn, cotton, forestry, and field crop pests. Trichogramma is one of the most widely applied biological control agents in commercial agricul- ture, but whether it is useful on a small, garden-scale program is still not known. One large- scale pesticide com- pany plans to start research and rearing of Trichogramma wasps, so we should see more types of these wasps available in the future. How to use: If you want to experiment with Trichogramma, make sure the wasps are present when the target pest eggs are being laid. Professional pest managers use pheromone traps to find out when peak flights of pest moths occur in the area. For the home gar- dener, buying traps and Trichogramma may be too costly. The best course is to release wasps every five to seven days for one month during the period moths are present. Most suppliers ship the parasite pupae glued to small cards. After the cards are set out in the gar- den, the adult wasps emerge from the pupae and fly off to find moth eggs for egg-laying sites. The suggested release rate is 5,000 to 7,000 wasps (generally that amount is on one card) per 2,000 square feet of garden. For home or- chards, release 5,000 to 7,000 parasites per two to three trees. If trees are under heavy caterpillar attack, release at least 5,000 per tree. To control European corn borer, release T. evanescens or T. nibilale. For orchard or tree pests, release T. minutum. New Bugs with Promise Research on beneficial insects for home garden and agricultural use is very active, and many new insect predators and parasites should be developed for commercial sale in the next several years. Two valuable insects for home gardeners, commercially available in 1991 or 1992, are minute pirate bugs and spined soldier bugs. Minute Pirate Bug These quick, black-and-white-pat- terned, 1/4 inch true bugs ( Onus tris- ticolor ) are native to most of North America. Both adults and the wingless yellow or brown nymphs are excellent native predators of rust mites, spider mites, thrips, and small, soft insects such as aphids, leafhoppers, and small caterpillars. Their life cycles take three to four weeks to complete. Large populations will build up in areas where there are plants with lots of pollen, such as goldenrod, wild carrot, and yarrow. Methods for mass-producing this predator are currently being developed. Once it is widely available, this native species is likely to be worth establishing in home gardens and or- chards, especially in areas where flower thrips cause serious damage to flowers and fruit. Buy the smallest order (or try releasing two to five bugs per infested plant) and distribute them widely throughout the garden. Spined Soldier Bug This predatory bug ( Podisus macuiiventris) attacks soft pests such as the larvae of Colorado potato beetles and Mexican bean beetles. Soldier bugs are just beginning to be used in home gardens. Their use looks very promis- ing, but is still experimental. If you want to experiment, try releasing five per square yard of bean or potato patch. In three weeks, there should be a decline in pest larvae. Take a close look at the soldier bugs before you release them: They look very similar to stink bugs, a common garden pest. How to Handle Beneficial Bugs If you order insect predators or parasites, be prepared to take action quickly when they arrive. They are living critters and can’t be left in the package long. Keep these points in mind: 1. When the beneficials me delivered- don’t open the package! They may have escaped from the inner wrapping. If you open the container in your kitchen or living room, you may end up with a houseful of bugs. Read the directions on the label for handling and releasing. Every species is unique and must be treated differently. 2. Release the beneficials in your gar- den as soon as you can after they arrive. Shipping and being confined in the package are stressful for the insects. Don’t keep them in the packaging more than 24 hours. 3. If you can’t release them in your garden right away, keep them cool. For most beneficials, the door of your refrigerator (where the temperature is about 45 F) is suitable, but a few need warmer storage. Follow storage direc- tions printed on the packaging. 4. When you’re ready to release the beneficials, take the package to the exact spot in your garden where you want to release them. Release some of the beneficials right on or near the in- fested plants and the rest as evenly as possible throughout the rest of the sur- rounding area. 5. Try to get a good look at the benefi- cials as you release them. You don’t want to mistakenly kill them later on, thinking they may be pests. You can preserve a few for future reference by dropping them in a small vial of rubbing alcohol. 6. If you think the package is empty, don’t panic. Look with your magnifying glass. Some beneficials, like predatory mites, are too small to see with the naked eye. Others may come mixed with a bran, sawdust, or vermiculite carrier. The easy-to-see carrier helps you know whether you’re distributing the insects evenly. Reprinted from RODALE’S CHEMICAL-FREE YARD AND GARDEN cl991 by Rodale Press. Permission granted by Rodale Press, Inc; Emmaus, PA 18098 * I was not able to obtain the rights to reproduce the illustrations in this book, as Rodale Press does not own the il- lustration rights. This book should, however, be in every gardeners library, not only for the beautiful illustrations presented, but for the abundance of useful information to all of us that are concerned about our own health, and the future health of our environment. The damage that we are doing today with our indiscriminate use of dangerous chemicals, will affect all fu- ture generations to come. If you would like to be on the Rodale Press mailing list, Write: Rodale Press, Book Reader Service, 33 East Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098 Also check with Rainbow Gardens Bookshop for books on beneficial in- sects. Ann Wayman 8 H. meliflua Merrill gaaaaMwawM --- From Luzon in the Philippine Islands. This plant was, until recently, known as the small leaved fraterna. It is a wild, high climbing vine, that can reach fifty or sixty feet in a very short time. It will branch nicely and stay fairly compact with consistant pruning. I have found this plant to be a very good bloomer, and seems to be happy in a 10" pot in spite of it’s size. It demands a great deal of light in order to bloom, but direct sun will scorch these thick, semi-succulent leaves very fast. If left unpruned, the flower umbels tend to form on the ends of the fast growing, leafless stems, but pruning seems to force the short peduncles to form in the notches where the stems branch, or directly under a pair of leaves. Sometimes they appear to be coming from the same node as the leaves. These large flowers are breathtakingly beautiful, and will catch the eye from 100 feet away. After the first two days, they begin to exude a thick, almost black nectar from under the corona. As you can tell from this picture, these flowers are exceedingly fuzzy, and soak up this nectar, until the flower color has changed to a dark brownish purple. Although still beautiful at this stage, they lose some of their appeal by being quite messy. Not a good choice for growing in a home, but wonderful in a warm greenhouse. Photo sponsored by Bill Woodard (Iowa) 9 MEDICINAL USES OF HOYA The following set of notations are a compilation of data collected from the Hoya literature, herbarium sheets, and other sources. Among the Asclepiadaceae there are species that are used medicinally as emetics, purgatives, healing properties, and some as sudorifics, a few are used as arrow poisons. There are a few in which the milky juice is non-acrid and are alimentary. Emetics are agents that produce vomiting. Purgatives are strong cathartics and are agents that relieve constipation and promote defecation and are used for disorders of the gastrointes- tinal tract. Sudorifics are agents that promote sweat. From Herbarium Sheet #11864 Nov. 1950. Leyte, Philippines: Latex good for wounds so with the juice of the leaves. Taiafi Mauguotoga American Samoa Community College, Agriculture Extension Service, Coordinator Crop Ext. Serv.: H. australis, juice of plant rubbed on red skin areas of newborn babies. Juice mixed with coconut oil and used to heal and cure rashes and abrasions (personal communication). Medicinal Plants of E. & SE Asia, Perry fRS 164 P47 1980. Indo-China: The leaves of Hoya carnosa (L. f.) R. Br. (?) are sometimes used to hasten the maturation of furuncles and anthrax (Crevost & Petelot, 37: 514: Petelot, 2: 149). From the extract of the powdered leaves and stem photosterin-digitonid was isolated (Ker & Haselbeck, 280: 340-348). It should be noted thatTsiang, in his treat- ment of Asiatic Apocynals (Sunyatsenia 3: 173. 1936), says that the species in Flore Gen. I.C. must be an en- tirely different plant. The type was from china. Malay Peninsula: A decoction of the leaves of H. coriacea Bl. is used by one tribe to treat cough and asthma. (Burkill & Haniff, 6: 224: Burkill, p. 1201). A decoction of the leaves of H. diversifolia Bl. is used in hot bath to treat rheumatism (Burkill & Haniff, 6: 224; Burkill, p. 1201; Petelot, 2: 148). Indonesia: The latex of H. coronaria Blume is bitter and emetic, but a little has been used with Capsicum leaves to stimulate slow digestion (Burkill, p. 1201; Heyne, p. 1297). The latex of H. rumphii Bl. and some other species of Hoya (cf. Dischidia also) is used to treat poisonous fish stings; a decoction of the leaves is reported as cooling in gonorrhea (Heyne, p. 1297; Burkill, p. 1201). Philippines: The leaves of H. imbricata Decne. are applied to boils as maturative (Quisumbing, p. 750). To varicose ulcers for rapid healing (Sulit, 13: 22, 23). H. australis flowers used to perfume coconut oil. Per- sonal talks with Samoans and others. The milky sap in Hoya especially the white flowered species has a profuse latex which can be an alternate source of oil according to some Japanese biochemists, but I think results of their experiment are not encourag- ing. In folk medicine: In the Philippines, the leaves of Hoya imbricata Decne. is applied externally as a poultice to ripen boils while the leaves are burned until charred, titrated, mixed with oil and stirred thoroughly then ap- plied to old wounds or varicose ulcers for rapid cicatriza- tion.* Young roots of Hoya viridifolia R. Br. are cut and the exuded juice is inserted into the nose to cause sneezing while the roots and tender stalks are used as an emetic and expectorant.* (Correspondence Juan Pancho Sept. 4 1986 ) Curtis’s Bot.Magazine 1 Mar. 1857: "The milky juice of the leaves Blume observes, is acrid, and excites nausea; nevertheless the mountain tribes eat the plant uncooked, mixed with capsicum and salt, and consider that it assists digestion. H. coronaria Blume. The Gardener’s Bulletin, Singapore Vol. 20, part 2, April 30 1963 p.191: "Large fruits are used by native people in the preparation of a stomach medicine". H. coronaria Blume. Herbarium Sheet #18100 UC., St. John, H. australis R. Brown, Fiji 19 July 1937: Notation "Used medicinally for child with cough. Personal communication while collecting H. schneei at Nett Point on the island of Ponhpei (Ponapae) : A decoction of this species was, in the olden days used as a cure for gonorrhea. At the present time it is used only as relief (or cure) for sore bones and muscle aches and pains, especially by old men. Poisonous Plants of Australia, by Selwyn L. Everist Page 79-80. Poisonous Principle. Not known: a cardiac glycoside was extracted from the plant (Webb 1 947) but there is no evidence that this is the principle responsible for the symptoms seen in animals poisoned by the plant. The possibility that the toxic principle is a resinoid seems to be worthy of investigation. Conditions of poisoning: All field cases reported have been cattle, mainly dairy cattle, with access to softwood scrub during dry years in the period between July and November. It is not known whether the plant is more toxic at this period or whether this is merely a reflec- tion of the fact that animals eat more readily when other feed is scarce. 10 Toxicity, Symptoms and lesions: In field cases, early symptoms most commonly reported include stag- gering, particularly in the hindquarters, with a tendency to knuckle over and assume a squatting or kneeling posi- tion. At a later stage, cattle usually collapse on one side, struggle violently and extend the neck and limbs rigidly in tetanic spasms. Periods of struggling alternate with periods of rigidity. Once down, animals appear to be un- able to regain their feet and they usually die in that posi- tion, sometimes lingering for several days. Occasionally there is scouring but more often the feces become hard and dry, sometimes coated with mucus. Rapid bloating after death is frequently reported. At autopsy, various lesions have been reported, in- cluding congestion of the liver, hemorrhage in heart muscle, pericardium or epicardium, emphysema in the lungs, thickening of the bile and patchy inflammation in the paunch, abomasum and/or small intestine. Early feeding tests showed that the plant could be toxic to young guinea pigs (Bailey 1915). In another test (Legg and White 1939 a, b), sheep which consumed amounts ranging from 0.5 to 1 kg of fresh leaves (1.8 - 3.6% of body weight) became visibly ill in 19-24 hours, collapsed in about two days and were killed for autopsy on the third day. Symptoms included listlessness and staggering gait. One animal kneeled frequently, another showed "pirouetting" of the eyes, stretched out on its side and was unable to rise. In sheep the only visible lesions were slight congestion of the alimentary tract. In later tests (Hall 1969) the plant was shown to be toxic to guinea pigs, calves and sheep. On the basis of green weight, stems alone were more toxic than whole plant (leaves and stems combined). The toxic dose of whole plant was about 0.8% of body weight for calves and stem alone 0.2% to 0.4% for both calves and sheep. The toxin did notappearto be water-soluble and was ap- parently lost when the plant was dried. Symptoms appeared 36 hours to 4 days after plant minced up in water was administered by stomach tube. They appeared to be entirely nuero-muscular and in- cluded sporadic coarse muscular tremor, tetanic spasms and violent struggling which was aggravated by excitement. In some animals the eyes were rolled back- wards. No abnormality could be detected in the heart sounds, even when animals were struggling violently. No characteristic lesions were noted at autopsy. Prevention and Treatment: Hoya poisoning can be prevented by denying cattle access to the plant during drought periods or by giving them supplemental feed. In many situations this is difficult to achieve since pasture is so scarce that any source of grazing at all must be util- ized. Under such circumstances, it may be practicable to seek out patches of Hoya in the scrub country and destroy them. The plant is difficult to kill with herbicides and the best method of destroying it is to pull up or dig out the plants. Botanische Jarbucher Vol. 25, p. 669: Hoya bicarinata Gray (H. australis Island type) Uses: for fragrance in coconut oil, and especially in necklaces. Again from Medicinal Plants of E. & SE Asia: Dischidia species: Indo China: An infusion of Dis- chidia acuminata Constantin is used as a diuretic, and also as a remedy for blennorrhea (Crevost & Petelot, 37: 515; Foucaud, p. 95). Malay Peninsula: Roots from the saccate leaves or the creeping stem of D. rafflesiana Wallich may be chewed with betel to relieve coughs (Burkill, p. 847; Petelot, 2: 158; Ridley, 5: 128 1897; 5: 248 1906). The leaf of Piper betel, a pepper is used in wrapping the pellets of the betel-nut (palm) and lime, which is com- monly chewed in Asia as a stimulant. The taste is hot, acrid, aromatic and astringent. It reddens the saliva and blackens the teeth. The use of lime to enhance the nar- cotic effect also corrodes the teeth. When I was on the island of Yap the new hospital that was being built had red tile floors, why I asked? Because betel chewers spit a lot and the red juice will not show on the floor! Indonesia (Moluccas): The leaves of D. imbricata (Blume) Steud. ( Conchophyilum imbricatum Blume) are heated and bound on injured feet, used internally to treat g gonorrhea and frambesia, and sometimes chewed as | betel (Dragendorff, p. 552; Rumphius, fide Heyne, p. 1296). Dischidia nummularia R. Brown (D. gaudichaudii Decaisne, D. orbicularis Decaisne) and similar plants are used for allaying the pain of wounds from the spines of certain fish (Rumphius, fide Heyne, p. 1296; Burkill, p. 81 6). Heyne adds that the latex and the leaves are used to correct sprue in children. Philippines: The leaves of D. platyphylla Schlechter are squeezed to make a juice, then applied to boils (Sulit & Conklin, coll. #5146 PNH 17727). The crushed leaves of D. purpurea Merrill are applied as a poultice, or cooked in coconut oil to use as an ointment on eczema and herpes (Quisumbing, p. 749). A poultice of the leaves of D. vidalii Becc. crushed with salt is applied to goiter (Quisumbing, p. 749). * Expectorant: Having the quality of promoting dis- charge from the mucous membrane of the lungs or trachea. * Cicatrization: process of healing or forming a cicatrice (to heal up) INFORMATION COMPILED BY DALE KLOPPENBURG i 11 Photo sponsored by Gary Raatz (Wisconsin) Perpich-574 versus H. pachyclada Kerr Is It, or Isn’t It? Assuming that the identity of the plant we have been calling H. pachyclada Kerr is correct, then this plant in our photo, purchased with the label of Perpich # 574 is most certainly also H. pachyclada. The fact that the foliage and growth pattern of these two plants are slightly different, is just another of the variables that we run across in almost all of the hoya species we grow. Did I say "slightly different"? Where one plant is a very slow growing shrub type with a main stalk about as thick as a broom handle, and almost perfectly round, very thick, succulent leaves, the other is a fast growing bush type hoya that forms branches and more elongated, thinner leaves, almost as fast as you can cut them back. The flowers on both are virtually identical to the naked eye, and also under a microscope. If any variation in the reproductive parts exists at all, it is so slight as to not even rate a mention. Anyone wishing to compare the flowers for themselves, can find a very good close-up photo of the shrub type in our picture sets, volume # 3. Flowers and foliage from these two plants will be sent to an expert in the chemical analysis field, who can hopefully tell us, once and for all, "is it is, or is it ain’t" the same species. Although both of these plants are excellent bloomers, I prefer this fast growing bush type, because it cascades so beautifully from a basket. Many people who prefer a slow growing plant, and have little room for these big ones (one of our members called it "The plant that ate Cleveland"), would probably be happier with the shrub type. Ann Wayman 12 International Hoya Association Interview After having conducted 20 interviews through the mail, it was a supreme pleasure to interview Ted Green of Green: Plant Research Nursery, in person. No! I wasn’t in Hawaii, Ted was in Oregon. So let’s turn on the tape recorder and "GO". IHA: Ted, how long have you been growing hoyas, and how many species do you offer? Ted Green: I have been growing hoyas for twenty seven years. I have over 150 species, sub species and varieties that I keep stocked for sales, plus I have possibly another fifty in my private collection that I keep for my pleasure alone. Some are rare, some are very common, but I have formed a certain attachment to them and enjoy having them around. IHA: Ted, what percentage of your sales are hoyas, and have you seen an increase in your hoya sales over the past five years? Ted: I would be safe in saying approximate- ly 10% of my sales are hoyas, and it has remained pretty consistent through the last five years. The majority of my flower sales are in Orchids IHA: Ted, what other plants grow well under the same conditions you give your hoyas? Ted: Any tropical or sub-tropical plant will grow here. We can’t grow Alpine plants, or desert cactus, other than those, we just throw some cuttings in the yard, stand back and watch ‘em grow. IHA: How do you determine the names of your hoyas? Ted: I use herbarium sheets for comparison when possible, I consult with other hoya growers, sometimes I even do a little process of elimination guessing, which has proved to be as reliable as some of the other methods I’ve seen used. IHA: Do you accept the names the plants have when you receive them? Ted: To some degree, I do, it depends on the source. If I know collectors are collecting wild plants in certain areas, and I know basically which species are supposed to be growing in that area, then it is fairly safe to assume that a plant is what they say they are. If they look dras- tically different than the available literature describes, then some extensive research needs to be done. IHA: Do you make an effort to check the names of plants you receive from other dealers or individuals? Ted: I acquire very few plants from other dealers, and none from individuals, unless I have lost a plant. Then I sometimes write or call an individual that I know purchased that par- ticular plant from me, and try to get a replace- ment. In several instances, the plants that I have received back, are not the ones originally sold to them by me. Carelessness in transfer- ring labels, I suppose! IHA: I know you go on several collecting trips yourself each year. Tell me about these "Jungle Bashes" where groups of people actual- ly go out into the jungle with you. Ted: Contrary to what you may have heard, there isn’t any story there to tell. There has never been a collecting trip with anyone except Dale Kloppenburg in 1981. He and I were the total "group." There wasn’t even any "Jungle Bashing", but more a "stomping and roaring" when a scorpion crawls up your pant leg, or a large snake decides to curl up beside you on your bed-roll to keep warm. Seriously, I’ve tried three different times to get a group together, but could never get enough people in- terested, so had to cancel out. 13 IHA: But you do go out and do a lot of your own collecting, don’t you? Ted: Yes, I do, but besides a guide, and maybe a few native porters, I am strictly "on my own". In fact, I have a month long trip planned in the fall, to the Philippines, Borneo, and Australia. I have some good leads on where to look for a few species of hoyas that are con- sidered rare, so I am hoping to stumble onto some of these, and "bring ‘em back alive". IHA: What kind of a record keeping system do you use for your plants? Ted: I take lots of pictures, and have over a thousand slides. I record where and from whom plants were obtained, I make line draw- ings when I have the time, and I keep track of when plants flower, if they’re fast or slow growers, and what kind of mix they prefer. IHA: Speaking of potting mix, I know you don’t throw your cuttings out in the yard, so, what do you use? Ted: I use U.C. mix, (a mixture formulated by the University of Calif.) which is a 1-1-1 mix- ture of peat moss, perlite, and coarse ver- miculite (1 part of each by volume). IHA: I’m going to disregard all the questions I usually ask about temperatures (heating, cooling etc.) because they just don’t apply in Hawaii, the temperature is perfect. So, let’s go on to pot sizes. What pot sizes do you prefer for hoyas? Ted: I use pots anywhere from 4" to 3 gallon, I also have plants growing on redwood boards, tree fern, and cork bark without pots at all. IHA: Of the plants that you have in pots, how often do you repot them? Ted: Seldom, unless there seems to be a problem with the root system, then I will pull them out of the pot, inspect the roots, and if I don’t find anything seriously wrong, I will repot into the next size up, or sometimes if the root structure is very small, I will pot them down into a smaller size. IHA: What pests and diseases have you en- countered in Hawaii? Ted: Mealybugs and scale find their way here from the mainland, and the nematodes live here all the time, because it never gets cold enough to kill them. IHA: How do you deal with these pests? What do you use, and what would you recom- mend for others to use? Ted: I use Vydate L as a soil drench for the nematodes, and malathion for the scale and mealy bug. I consider malathion safe enough to recommend to my customers, but Vydate L is a restricted use product and is not available to the general public. If you find that your plants are infested with nematodes, it would be much better to take cuttings as far away from the roots as possible, and start new plants. Burn the old plants, pot, soil, and all. Keep your fingers crossed, and spit into the wind every other Tuesday as a guard against nematodes cropping up in your new cuttings. IHA: Have you found any products that will injure hoyas? Ted: Yes, I have seen some injury to the foliage after using Diazinon. I do know other people who have used it without any problems, so perhaps I didn’t mix it as carefully as I should have, or maybe there was some other variable that I overlooked. IHA: That’s quite possible. I have used Diazinon many times and have never seen any damage, on the other hand, a friend of mine wiped out practically every plant she owned using Diazinon. She found out several weeks later, that her husband had used her sprayer to apply weed killer to some blackberry vines. Ted: That would do it! IHA: Have you ever tried natural or biologi- cal controls for pest problems? Ted: Hawaii has all kinds of bugs, and I’m sure they’re not all here eating plants, quite a few are busy taking chunks out of humans, but most of them are eating the bugs that are eating 14 the plants. So in that sense, I guess we are in- volved in a mass biological control. As far as buying bugs to place on my plants for pest con- trol, NO! I’ve never done that. IHA: Would you like to see hoya cultivars and hybrids come on the market? Ted: Yes, I think it would be great! I feel there is a lot of room for improvement in the hoya genus. For instance, some of these ex- quisite little miniatures whose flowers are barely visible with the naked eye could be im- proved greatly with just a larger flower. Some of our beautiful large flowered species could be greatly improved with a tolerance to cooler temperatures, and so on down the line. Some of the most beautiful foliage in the world belongs to the hoya genus, but if the tempera- ture drops a few degrees below 55 degrees fah- renheit for any length of time, they’re history! I think a great deal of work needs to be done, and I believe it will be. Inside Information There was an immediate response to the call for old maps. Connie Young of Grants Pass, Oregon called to say she had 17 old National Geographic maps of the areas that were needed. She brought them to my house the same day and selected some large plants in hanging baskets as her reward. Debbie Stetson of Roslindale, Massachusetts sent some beauti- ful old maps of the New Guinea area. Margie Stone of Eugene, Oregon spent five hours in the map room of the University of Oregon at Eugene, and sent photo copies of six or seven of the most beautiful old maps I have ever seen. The oldest map I received, is from 1804, the newest is from 1948, with many dates in be- tween. The map that really grabbed my atten- tion was dated 1897 and was of the entire Tropical Asia area, starting at Singapore, and included Malaysia, Indonesia, and all of N.E. New Guinea. As soon as I get through the in- come tax maze, and the weather warms up, I will be sending some very choice cuttings to you ladies. Since that plea worked so well, here’s another one. I am looking for a cutting of USD A #355385 (foliage looks very similar to H. litoralis and H. inconspicua) and H. fusca. The H. fusca is the leathery, shrub type hoya with very distinct horizontal veins (not pur- purea fusca). I originally bought several rooted cuttings from Michael Miyashiro of Rainforest Plantes et Fleurs, but lost them somehow over the years. If anyone is growing these plants, and would be willing to part with a cutting, let me know the price, or what you would like in ex- change. We are having a slight problem with the Visa and Master Card charges lately. All of the Visa and Master Card charges are electronically transferred to my nursery account "Orchids- Violets-N-Such" I then write a check back to IHA for reimbursement. The reason for this was to save the organization the $50.00 set-up fee, and the $20.00 per month rental fee for the imprinter which I already had through my nurs- ery. There was no problem until last July when I was forced by high discount fees into a com- pletely electronic set up. We no longer write out sales slips and take them to the bank, only the card numbers, and the sales amounts are punched into a machine. As a result, many people are not recognizing the charges and are refusing to pay them. I’m hoping we can get this resolved soon without having to set up a separate account for IHA which I believe would be cost prohibitive, and would probably force us to do away with all Visa and Master Card charges which are so very convenient for our foreign members. On another note: As you have probably noticed, the cover of Fraterna, and the pages inside, are different colors and textures this time. Blame it on my "bargain hunter’s spirit". I printed the cover in an off-white linen, then went to the paper outlet where I buy all my paper. Their sale table had reams upon reams of 28 pound off-white paper at a ridiculously low price, so I gathered up as many reams as I could get in my shopping cart, paid for them, and didn’t think about it again until I started printing the text for this issue. I found that someone’s idea of off-white in this instance was more on the gray side. Since I already had all the covers printed and the pictures on, I decided, so be it! And thank goodness it wasn’t ruby red or passionate purple. Ann Wayman 15 H. cominsii Photo sponsored by: Rainbow Gardens, Nursery & Bookshop 1444 E. Taylor St., Vista, CA 92084 Most of us have had this plant for many years under the label of DAV-819. It was collected in the Solomon Islands along with several other species, that also carry DAV numbers. I have long suspected that this plant might be H. cominsii, but until it bloomed and I could inspect the flowers, it was purely a guess. It bloomed this past November, alongside of the plant that I purchased as IML 457 listed in David Liddle’s catalog as H. cominsii. Although there is a slight difference in the foliage, the flowers on these two plants are virtually identical. I see that David has now also listed DAV-819 as H. cominsii. As far as I’m concerned, the large, glossy green, heavily peninerved, heart-shaped leaves on this plant are its major attraction. Under the conditions in my green house, the 1/2" flowers open a luscious lime-green, but within a day or two, will fade to a soft creamy yellow with a pure white corona. This is a warmth loving plant, and doesn’t like cool temperatures at all. It doesn’t seem to require a lot of light to bloom, so it would probably be a good subject for growing in the home, if the humidity can be kept fairly high. This plant doesn’t need much fertilizer, and in fact seems to resent most of the chemicals that I put on my other plants. I keep a piece of a dog "flea collar" in the pot to keep bugs away so I don’t have to spray the foliage with insecticides or alcohol. The chemicals don’t kill the plant, but these beautiful delicate leaves react by getting dry, crinkled edges that don’t look very attractive, (it doesn’t like soap and water much either). During a recent visit, Ted Green informed me that the initials DAV stands for "Department of Agriculture, Victoria". Ann Wayman 16 BIRD TRACKS Robin # 3--July 1991 --Gary Raatz (Wisconsin) I like H. obscura and H. incrassata the most because they are practically maintenance free, and their fragrance is especially pleasing for my taste. H. incrassata is the largest hoya in my collection as far as leaf size goes. One other hoya I like a lot is H. sp. F-484 because of the leaf shape and color. Last year I was pleasantly surprised very early one morning by a nice light fragrance from this plant. Before that morning, I thought it was odorless. Robin # 3--August 1991 --Frances Wilkes (Califor- nia) The species from India #4 is probably the same as H. acuta (green form). A picture of the bloom is in the IHA pictures Volume # 3. Robin # 3-August 1991-Dale Kloppenburg (California) Last week I received another packet of wild collected hoyas from the Philippines, only 7 days in coming, so I think I can save all of them. It is like Christmas when new plants arrive. I removed two of the redwood benches from the north side of my biggest greenhouse, put them upright against the wall, be- tween I stapled in chicken wire. Then I got a pick-up load of fir & pine shavings and filled all the spaces, chinked the cracks with moss and am planting hoyas into this wall. I am only putting special plants and small ones on the wall so far. I can easily keep the set up moist, and hope that the plants like it. I have installed 8 two bulb fluorescent lamps for light when the fog comes rolling into this valley. I had a call from David Liddle. He had been collect- ing in New Guinea and the Solomons with Geoff Den- nis. They had been to all of the places that Geoff and I had collected in 1987, and a little further. David said he collected over 1 00 cuttings. We have been trying to un- ravel all of these small leaved Philippine species like tsangii, bilobata etc. I think with a little more research we can solve these correctly. Once done, only some will agree, as the literature write ups are not detailed enough to resolve all discrepancies. Joyce, H. fungi should have a flower cluster with twice as many flowers as H. carnosa. Mine nearly always has as many as 60 flowers per umbel, and carnosa has about 30. 1 keep thinking we might possibly have more than one clone of this species. I find that some of my plants grow well in one set of conditions, then as the weather and light changes, they may slow down and different plants will take off. I still have a very rough time with the Eriostem- mas. Some of the Mt. Gallego things don’t like me well either. Robin # 3.-November 1991-Harriette Schapiro (California) For those of you who have not heard this before, Safer Soap, diluted in distilled or demineralized water and used on a regular basis will control most in- festations of mealy bugs). The reason for the distilled water, is that hard water or the minerals in most tap water will bind up the soap and prevent its normal ac- tion. Robin # 3-December, 1991-Benigne Dohms (Florida) I keep my hoyas in my sunroom, which faces almost due north and receives a lot of morning sun through spring and some of the summer months. About late May I decided to experiment and put a few plants out on the patio table, which has a mesh umbrel- la providing shade. At first I was scared I would lose them but with each day that passed I became less con- cerned and before long all my hoyas were outside in the sun, warm air, gentle breezes, and rain; a cute tree frog took up residence with the pots on the table. They loved it and thanked me with growth, as much as 6" in a day (even the slow and stubborn ones put out) and flowers. By August the jungle became a solid tangled mass, or so it seemed. Some of the plants were trying to root themselves to the wrought iron of the table! It was also interesting to move them around from time to time and watch the coloration in the leaves change in response to full sun. What a bunch of happy plants! They responded to the warmth, the moisture, and the humidity, and when the tropical conditions changed to dry and less warm, they sensed that and have shown no new growth since. Robin # 3-January, 1992-Joyce Blumenstock (Michigan) My favorite hoyas are those with unusual leaf markings, and those which bloom well for me such as H. lacunosa, sp. ex Mandorah, pachyclada, pubera, and one or two others. Also the tiny ones like H. bilobata. I use the same potting mix for everything, Canadian peat and perlite, about half of each, adding a little more perlite tothose which need better drainage. Robin # 3-January, 1992-Bill Crews (Georgia) A note to Bill- from Ann: Bill, you’ve written yourself right out of these excerpts this time. Seven pages long and all so interesting, that I can’t edit to a shorter version without losing a great deal of your valuable information plus it would lessen the impact of your wonderful wit and sense of humor. With your permission, I would like to compile your letters for an entire article one of these days. 17 Hoya Mania-European Style Some of our members take trips to the Philippines, Malaysia, and other Far Eastern locales to find Hoyas. Charter members, Lina and Dieter Paul, did a most unusual thing, and tracked them down in the wilds of good old Europe. This is their story, as told by Dieter Paul. Over the years, Lina has sent many cuttings to friends and customers overseas. Recently we had the opportunity to visit some of our former customers that we had infected with the Hoya addiction. We also found a few of the popular varieties in some of the garden centers, in some large, supermarket type stores, also in a few of the smaller florist shops as well. We were not able to visit what we understand to be the largest collection, in Palmengarten in Frankfurt. We were told that the Botanical Garden in Hamburg is also supposed to hold a very good collection. In the former East Germany, we had the opportunity to visit the old nurseries of Knebel in Gruenhainichen in Saxony, and the Haage’s in Erfurt in Thuringia. All of the nurseries went through very hard times, as growing plants as a hobby did not hold much priority over there in the past 40 years. Knebel, who’s grandfather was a famous Epiphyllum hybridizer, is now mainly in Paphiopedilum (lady slipper) orchids, but we found quite an interest at the Haage’s- in Erfurt. We discovered the greatest collections were in private homes and greenhouses in former West-Germany. Our first visit was with an old friend, Mr. Schoene in Olpe, not far from Cologne. Mr. Schoene was a customer of ours many years ago, and visited with us in Northern California when we owned "Marin Cactus Patch". He gave up his jewelry business a year ago, and is cutting back on his collection of beautiful hoyas. We were able to help him relocate some of them to other locations, where they will be well cared for. The most interesting set-up we discovered, was at the home of the Pillar’s in Osnabrueck. The Pillar’s live in a town house with a marginal, narrow back yard, and when we saw only a few plants in the livingroom window sill, and nothing in the garden, we assumed they must have another garden somewhere else. But No! we were ushered upstairs to the second floor which held the bedrooms, then on into the attic, where we were surprised to find that all of the clay tiles had been removed from the A-frame roof, and replaced with aluminum frames with 1" thick Plexi-Glass panels. The floor and walls adjoining the neighbors had been tiled, and lifters had been installed to open vents for ventilation during the hot summer months. In this fantasy atmosphere, we found a wonderful collection of plants in great shape. As we journied on our way, we found another great set-up at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Sauer in Ellwangen. They have a large garden, and have built an enclosed section that holds a great number of plants in wonderful condition; thanks to a sophisticated misting and heating system. In all of the places we visited, the complaint that we heard most often, was of the high cost of heating during the winter months. Temperatures must be carefully controlled, because they often have rapid changes overnight. We found a great demand for written information on the care and growing conditions of hoyas. We informed them of Dale Kloppenburgs, soon to be published book, on the care and culture of hoyas, and they are all looking forward to it. Most of the offerings of hoyas in Europe come from the nurseries of Donkelaar in Holland, and most of the Garden centers use plants and stock from Holland. There are also many Dutch dealers in every one of the popular open air markets found in most cities in Europe. During this trip, we distributed many issues of our publication "Fraterna", and an invitation to join us in our association. These issues were also left with the Botanical institutes associated with the Universities. It is our hope that in this small way, we have helped to spread the popularity of hoyas to our European brothers and sisters, and perhaps through the mutual love for a plant, will come a closer relationship for us all. By Dieter Paul In This Issue We have included in this issue, the index to Fraterna starting with the first issue, 3rd. quarter 1990, through 4th quarter 1991. We do have all index’s available for the Hoya Society- West Coast publication beginning with our very first issue, April 1988. They were to be included in this issue but will instead be included with the next (2nd. quarter 1992) issue. Sponsors Needed Does everyone like the new format of "fraterna" with five beautiful color photos in each issue?. In order to continue including as many pictures as possible, we do need sponsors. I am willing to spend my time taping the photos in (double sided tape), if you folks will help with the financing. Only $25.00 to sponsor a picture. You may designate a particular hoya you would like to see, and if I have a negative available, or can find one in bloom to photo, I will grant your wish. You may also dedicate a picture for any purpose. International Hoya Association P.O. Box 5130 Central Point, OR 97502 18 "VICKI’S EXOTIC PLANTS" Episcias, Begonias And Hoyas Wide Variety Licensed Retail Nursery U.SA. Sales Only $1.00 for large descriptive list (503) 826-6318 Vicki Graves owner 522 Vista Park Dr. Eagle Point, OR 97524 (503) 826-6318 THE HOYA CONNECTION lots of varieties U.SA. Sales Only Send $1.00 for a list of available cuttings! Cindy Hay 3829 Brownsville Dr. Bellingham, WA 98226 hGr The Association for plant & flower people who grow in hobby greenhouses and windows! Quarterly Magazine Growing & Maintenance Help & Advice Hobby Greenhouse Association 8 Glen Terrace, Bedford, MA 01730*2048 Dues J12 USA, S14 Canada, 515 Overseas Sample magazine $3 We now have ten complete volumes of pictures ready as follows. ($5.90 per set of ten prints or any two sets for $10.50 first class postage paid, overseas $15.50 per two sets.) Volume 1 H. australis H. lacunosa H. pubicalyx ‘Fresno Beauty* H. multiflora H. serpens H. sp. tanna H. sp. Bangkok #4 H. obovata (Foliage) H. Globulosa (Foliage) H. meredithii (Foliage) Volume 2 H. ‘Mini Belle’ H. latifolia H. sp. Chiange Mai H. variegata FI. compacta H. obscura H. pubicalyx ‘Bright one’ H. bella H. shepherdii H. polystachya (Foliage) Volume 3 FI. cinnamomifolia H. gracilis H. pubicalyx (Dark Red Seedling) H. laurifolia (this is PNG 4) H. arnottiana H. kenejiana H. kerrii (Fuzzy leaf) H. acuta (Green Form) H. pachyclada H. obovata Volume 4 H. fuscomarginata FI. species # 454 parviflora (long skinny leaf) H. polystachya H. acuta (lemon scented) H. species # Cl- 1244 H. species # F-484 FI. species USDA # 354246 FI. pubicalyx Cv. Red Buttons H. species (New Guinea Gold) H, nicholsoniae IML 37 (Golden Yellow, pure white corona) Volume 5 H. citrina H. nicholsoniae # 39 H. cumxningiana H. neo-ebudica H. padangensis FI. camphorifolia H. inconspicua H. caudata var. crassifolia H. Spec. PNG-1 FI. erythrina Volume 6 FI. fraterna H. coronaria Form 1 H. limonaciae H. bilobata H. Spec. PNG-6 H. tsangi FI. diptera FI. acuta (bronze) H. fiingii H, diversifolia-B Volume 7 H. carnosa cv. "Krinkle 8" H. Sp. Saba Malaysia H. Sp. WMZ H. polyneura H. Sp. WMZ (Back of flower & calyx) H. pubera H. acuta Penang H. plicata H. carnosa cv. "Dapple Gray" H. keysii Volume 8 H. purpureo fusca (The real one) H. odorata H. pottsii H. Sp. IML 33 H. picta H. pseudo littoralis FI. nicholsoniae (from Logee’s) H. micrantha H. vitiensis H. curtisii (foliage) NEW FTEMS Volume 9 H. sp. USDA # 354236 (H. calycina) H. merrilli FI. affinis H. darwinii H. pubicalyx ‘Chimeara’ FI. sp. ‘Gold Star’ H. sp. # BSI-1 H. archboldiana (Red Form) H. finlaysonii H. naumanii Volume 10 H. pubicalyx ‘Silver Pink’ H. rupicola H. vittelina H. sp. IML # 234 H. meliflua H. engleriana H. megalaster FL archboldiana (Pink Form) H. sp. Bangkok Red H. sp. cebu Pictures International Hoy a Association P.O. Box 5130 Central Point, OR. 97502 Third Quarter 1990 Dischidia singularis 4 Flower photography 8,9 Hoya anthers 2 calyx 2 corolla 2 corona 2 ovaries 6 pedicel 2 peduncle 2 pollinaria 2 species angustifolia 13 archboldiana 6 bella 14 bilobata 12,13 burtoniae 12 camphorif olia 6,12 carnosa 6,11 cumingiana 6,14 curt isii 12 divers if olia 5 * diversifolia B 12 erythrina 7* f raterna 12 f ungii 6 globulosa cover ,10* gracilis 12 lacunosa 12 lanceolata 2,14 lat if olia 12 linearis 14 longifolia 2,13 macrophylla 12 megalas ter 13 meredithii (80-05) 12 micrantha 6 mindorensis 2 , III motoskei 6 multiflora 6 obscura 6,12 parvif olia 13 polys t achy a 12 serpens 12 shepardii 13 sp . Tanna 12 sp. WMZ 6 sp. #F-4 28 * 13 sp. #F-484 12 sp. #81084 12 sp. #81089 2, IV stigma 6 Miniature hoyas 12,13 Plant hanger/stand 15 Photographs Vols . 1-8 18 Pruning 14 Robins 11 Third Quarter 1990 Supplement Hoyas, New Philippine Species alagensis I angus t isepala ,111 benguetensis Ill cagayanensis Ill card iophy 11a Ill cembra II ciliata IV coronaria IV coronarioides IV ery thros temma V eugeniodes VI halconensis IIT incrassata V leucantha II madulidii IV odorata II ,VI palawanica V paziae VI pulgarensis IV Fourth Quarter, 1990 Dischidia singularis . . . . Diseasa Epiphyllum caudatum Growth techniques Hoya jackets large white species outdoors species af finis albif lora archboldiana ' Big Red ' calycina carnosa carnosa tricolor cinnamomif olia coronaria cumingiana diversifolia B engleriana 'Gold Star' ' Grey Lady ' lacunosa longif olia macgillivrayi megalas ter mo toskei polyneura pruinosa pubicalyx ' Red Buttons ' sp. #F-484 ; sp . India #1 sp. WMZ •. unidentified species.. 'Verna Jeanette'..-.... Insects Mealybugs , . Photographs Vols . 1-10.. Pink silver vine Plant names Robins 3 12 cover 17 1 of Papua NG . . . 4 , 5 13 . , .17 8 . 16,17 15 VII* , 7 16 15 17 6 17 3 . . . 3 17 11 16,17 3 17 16 16 . . . 16 3 11,16 11,17 10* 16 VIII* , IX* 9 15 12 17 20 11 ............13,14 15 First Quarter, 1991 Cuttings 3,10,11,12 Hoya jackets 1 species australis 11 bella 4,5 curtisii 6,7 limoniaca 7 linearis cover* , 2 numrnularia 6 parvif lora 3 parvifolia . 7 pruinosa 6*, 7* serpens 5,7 shepherdi 5 sp. IML 454 3 Interview, Ann Mann 8,9 Photographs Vols. 1-10 17 Pruning 3 Repotting 3 Robins 10,11,12,15 Virus 3 Vitamin Bl 11 Second Quarter, 1991 Alcohol 8,14,16 Ants 5,6 An t nests 7 Aphids 8 Basic H 16 Cocnuts 11 Cuttings 16 Cygon 16,17 Dischidia imbricata 6 major 6 pectinoides 6 Fertilizer 16 Hoya jackets 1 species angus tif olia 9 australis 6,14 bilobata 9 1 Bright One ' 16 burtoniae 11 cardiophylla 11 carnosa 6 cembra 11 darwinni 6 dip tera 17 diversifolia B 16 eitapensis 4* erythros temma 10* ' Hindu Rope ' 9 imbricata 6 latif olia 16 madulidii 11 merrillii 11 mindorensis 11 mitrata 6 multiflora 11 obscura 11 odora ta 16 palawanica 11 paziae 11 polys tachya 16 'Red Buttons' 16 serpens 16 sp . DS-70 9 sp. #557 cover*, 12 sp. #81084 11 t sangii 9 Interview, Ruth Grenier. . . i 13,14 Lacewings 17 Ladybugs 17 Malathion 8, 17 Mealybugs 5,8 Pest icide 17 Photographs Vols . 1-10 19 Repotting 5 Robins 15,16,17 Third Quarter, 1991 Back Issues 1 Bird Tracks 9 Hoya j ackets . 1 species archboldiana 'pink form' cover* bella 3 IML #232 10* nicholsoniae IML #37 4* polyneura 3 pubicalyx var. Chimera 12*, 13* New Species el-nidicus I golamcoiana II loherii Ill rizaliana IV Interview, Ann Wayman 6,7,8 New Zealand notes 11 Photographs Vols . 1-10 15 Questions & Answers 3 San Diego Group notes 1,2 Scale . 3 Spider mites 3 Fourth Quarter, 1991 Back Issues 1 Bird Tracks 7 Hoya jackets 1 species acuta 14 archboldiana 3 australis 3 bella 3 carnosa 3 compacta 3 darwinii 9* erythros temma .13,14,16* imperialis cover* , 2 lacunosa 3 mindorensis 12,14,16* mitrata 8*, 9 New Guinea Gold 3 IHA Board Meeting Notes 4,5* Photographs Vols. 1-10 17 Questions & Answers 3 Resume, Prof. Juan V. Pancho 10,11 San Diego Group Notes 6 Official bulletin for 'International Hoya Association 2nd. Quarter 1992 ISSN 1055-4564 library AUG - 3 1992 Iss'tW yOKK botanical garden H. finlaysonii, Wight i INTERNATIONAL HOYA ASSOCIATION (Formerly Hoya Society-West Coast) P.O. Box 5130 Central Point, OR 97502 (503) 664-6808 A Non-Profit Organization Bulletin published quarterly. Present rates for a 1 year membership, which includes our quarterly publication are $12.00 per year, $15.00 per year overseas. All overseas mail is sent by airmail. Officers And Editors President Dale Kloppenburg Vice President John Scoville Secretary/T reasurer Ann Wayman Editor Ann Wayman Board Of Directors William J. Wayman Paula Lake Lina Paul Rudy Bachmann Wayne Scott Gary Raatz Chuck Everson (Chairman) Editorial Board Mary B. Welch 508 East 117th St Jenks, OK 74037 Advertising We have advertising available at the following rates: Full page camera ready ad $45.00 per issue Half page camera ready ad $30.00 per issue Quarter page camera ready ad $20.00 per issue 1/8th page camera ready ad $15.00 per issue You may also send us your handwritten or typed ad on a plain sheet of paper and one of your business cards and we will lay out your ad for you. There will be a one time set-up fee on this extra service of $25.00 to be added to our research fund. A copy of your ad will be sent to you for proofing before final printing in our newsletter. The deadline for all advertising is: February 15 for the March issue May 15 for the June issue August 15 for the September issue November 1 5 for the December issue We also accept advertising on a per year basis. You may deduct 10% for the same ad running consecutively in four issues. Payment in advance, Please!. Back Issues We now have the thirteen original issues of the Hoya Society -West Coast newsletter bound as one publication. The price of this bound text is $25.00 U.S. and $55.00 shipped airmail over- seas. Due to the extra pages and pictures in our new publication "Fraterna", we must, out of necessity, increase our prices for back issues of "Fraterna" to $4.00 per issue, $6.00 per issue shipped airmail overseas. Jackets Remember, we have some very beautiful jackets available with our ‘International Hoya Association’ emblem emblazoned across the back. These are wonderfully warm, fully lined nylon jackets in a dozen gorgeous colors. We also have tee shirts, and some of the girls are even sporting sweat shirts with our emblem. Colleen Christian is in charge of all jacket and tee shirt orders. Colleen informed me that our price on the jackets has been increased by $1.50 by the manufacturer, so please write for the latest prices before sending your money. Colleen Christian, 260 Greenleaf, Eugene, Or. 97404 TRY SMILING When the weather suits you not, Try smiling. When your coffee isn’t hot, Try smiling. When your neighbor don’t do right, Or your relatives all fight, Sure ’tis hard, but then you might Try smiling. Doesn’t change the things, of course- just smiling. But it cannot make them worse- just smiling. And it seems to help your case, Brightens up a gloomy place, Then, it sort o’ rests your face- just smiling. UNKNOWN 1 San Diego Hoya Group March 29, 1992 Another fine meeting with this wonderful chapter of the International Hoya Association. There was some concern about the weather forcing a little rain into the area and Chuck Everson and Jerry Williams took the necessary precautions, but it was shirtsleeve weather again and the wind abated nicely. It is a known fact that the city of Vista and its associated locale is, a most beautiful area to grow cactus, succulents, and perhaps even our beloved hoyas. There might have been a "Garden of Eden" but surely this area could be called the "Garden of Exotic Plants". Our hosts, Chuck and Jerry, showed their new growing areas along with the old ones and all present had the opportunity to witness the blooms and growth of all their nice plants. The meeting started with the guests arriving and talking with each other about how their hoyas were doing and their various new arrivals. Many of the membership brought in their potted plants and cuttings for the raffle and there was no shortage of material. With a little luck you could land an H. megalaster, an H. parvifolia of specific origin, or even a special H. macgillivrayi, to mention only a few. The members are very generous and enjoy sharing their various hoya efforts. It is appropriate to say that nobody goes away empty-handed! The usual is two, three, or even more potted plants or cuttings. Not only do members bring rooted and unrooted cuttings for the raffles, but food also, such as main dishes, salads, desserts, drinks, and specials as well. Jerry Williams introduced his famous chile, toned down to adjust for everyone’s taste, and it was excellent. It was with a well fed membership that the meeting started. The local news was viewed along with a favorable treasurer’s report. A motion for an inexpensive green badge with white lettering of each member’s name, and a simple hoya symbol was introduced and carried by all present. Chuck Everson gave an instructive report about IHA interest in Europe and Dieter Paul followed up with a report of his recent visit there with wife, Lina. Must be contagious as we are seeing new members from all areas. IHA has currently over 300 members stateside and 50 + overseas. The meeting theme was devoted to "potting mixes" with Dr. Lee Phelps sharing his broad knowledge in botany but somewhat limiting it to hoya potting mixes. Dr. Phelps, one of many of our recognized specialists presented technical tips on using the right kind of material when growing hoyas in this area. He explained his experience of growing hoyas in a potting mixture of certain amounts of pumice, that igneous volcanic rock with proportions of perlite and commonly purchased "Super Sod". The presentation was excellent with considerable audience participation. It would be nice to have the technical content published in "Fraterna" so all members could benefit from it. Do you believe you could do this for us Lee? It was mentioned that one of our members, Kurt Pederson, has moved his entire operation to the Fort Meyers region of Florida. Please be so kind, Kurt, to tell all of us what it is like there and what you are doing. We miss you! The next meeting is going to be a real success with Dale Kloppenburg telling us about operations in Bogar, Indonesia. Dale is on a streak with his recent publications and there are more on the way. We are looking forward to another great meeting and this one should be no exception. See you there! Recorder: John Scoville Sunday, June 28, 1992 at Quail Botanic Garden in Encinitas, California. For more information, contact Dieter Paul at (619) 432-8640. All are invited!! Dr. Lee Phelps Photo sponsored by The San Diego Hoya Group 2 Ted’s Tips 1 Soil Mix for the Eriostemmas The eriostemmas (H. afflnis, guppyi, coronaria, etc.) are, in a non-technical way, the group of hoyas that have hard, usually flat flowers and normally downy leaves AND for some reason are hard to flower under greenhouse conditions. In nature most of them are found growing on limestone hills or close to the ocean. Even under my conditions (weather, fertilizers, water, etc.) some have been slow to grow and recalcitrant to flower. It occurred to me that I was possibly providing the wrong soil mix for this group. My usual mix, plus our acidic tap and rain water, is quite acid. This appears to be just the opposite of what they need for good growth and bloom. I have recently started a new program of adding a handful of limestone (crushed coral, which is easily obtained here) to each 8" pot, a proportional amount for the larger containers. I have seen immediate results with new, robust growth and am now monitoring each plant to see if the flowering is better-regularly, often and with no bud drop. Ann Wayman has told me that she adds oyster shells to her mix (all hoyas?) and has been able to flower several of the eriostemmas. I do not know if this addition of limestone will work for you but give it a try. Let me know if it does. By Ted Green A Note on the use of oyster shell First off, oyster shell can be purchased in any feed store. It’s the same stuff they feed to chickens and turkeys to add calcium to their diet. I do use it in all my potting mix that has peat moss as its base. Peat moss is naturally on the acid side of the pH scale, and continues to turn more acidic as it decomposes. Almost all tropical plants prefer a neutral or very slightly acid mix, and hoyas are no exception. I do feel that the eriostemmas prefer a more neutral soil, as they are always the ones that show signs of chlorosis after they have been in a pot for awhile. The oyster shell breaks down very, very slowly with each watering, and administers just enough lime to prevent chlorosis and leaf drop. The crushed coral would work the same way. A.W. Write for my latest Asclepiad list or Orchid list Always something new and expensive (I need the money to go collecting in Brunei & Sarawak this fall). .jTUoyS GREEN: PLANT RESEARCH P.O. Box 735, Kaaawa, Hawaii 96730 Telephone (808) 237-8672 3 Hoyas, Dischidias, ants and fungi: Living in harmony By Wim J. Baas University of Utrecht, Department of Plant Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ecophysiology group, Sorbonnelaan 16, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands Recently I received Dale Kloppenburg’s translation of Schlechter’s "Die Asclepiadaceen von Deutsch-Neu-Guinea" [1]. The original manuscript also contains a section "General Remarks on the Distribution of Asclepiadaceae of German New Guinea". It is in that introductory part that, years ago, I first noticed a description of co-occurrence of ants with Hoya and Dischidia, together with other valuable remarks on their ecology. Last year, while gathering literature on the relation between plant chemistry and insect-plant interactions, the short note of Mr. Green on Hoyas, Dischidias and ants appeared in Fraterna [2]. This stimulated me to intensify the literature search on plant-ant interactions, that I was doing to incorporate in a review on the significance of "secondary plant compounds" [3]. The result is a theory on the chemical ecology of Hoya and Dischidia, an abstract of which now follows. The ecology of Hoyas and the taxonomically related Dischidias is of special interest, since there, the answer has to be found to the question: What is the significance of the triterpenes, steroid-like compounds that accumulate in their leaf waxes and latex vessels. Some two years ago I speculated on that question in "The Hoyan" (see the article on "The evergreen strategy"), and have since learned a lot about plant-insect interactions, the involvement of microorganisms and the significance of such tritrophic interactions for the nutrition, and thus the survival of especially epiphytes, such as Hoyas and Dischidias. From a study of (very) old, and also recent literature I now have indications that triterpenes, ants and fungi are important factors in the ecology of Hoya and Dischidia species, and will try to explain this in a somewhat simplified way. Hoyas and Dischidias thus are epiphytes of tropical forests, co-occurring with other species like ferns, orchids and Rubiaceae such as the well known ant-plants Myrmecodia and Hydnophytum. These plants are often found growing together on so-called "Host Trees", and often associated with ant nests in which they root. Such "ant-gardens" are thought to be built by ants, from debris, litter and clay, and are often connected with each other by tunnels of comparable material. Besides plant roots, fungi are also a part of these constructions. From the study of a number of ant-plants, and also from Hoya and Dischidia species, it is known that these seeds are "sown" by the ants in their nests. The ants are literally potting up the plants with fertilized substrate. Ants have also been observed "removing" other undesirable plants from the host trees. Most ant-plants have special adaptations, so-called "domatia" to house the ants. So the Rubiaceae have hollow swollen stems, with a net-work of tunnels, whereas Hoyas and Dischidias may form a cavity by compressing their dome-shaped leaves against the tree bark. Some Dischidias, e.g. D. raffiesiana have hollow so-called pitcher leaves. Those of D. pectenoides, like the tunnels of the Rubiaceae, have two compartments: a part where the ants nest, and a part where their debris are stored. This nutrient-rich materia! can be taken up by the ant-plants, since they form adventitious roots entering their cavities. This is how in nature the ant-plants probably obtain at least a significant part of their nutrients. In return, the ants obtain food from the plants. Here fungi may play an important role. Fungi, brought to the nests by the ants, grow vegetatively as a mycelium, from sugars that they obtain from the plant. They enter only the plant surface or dead wood. At least with some fungi it is essential that they cannot reach the living cells of the plant, because there they find the plant sterols that some of them need for their membranes and for reproduction. But then these mushrooms become pathogenic* to the plant. Now, the hypothesis is that plants keep these fungal pathogens in a symbiotic condition by offering them triterpenes as sterol surrogates(or substitutes). This would allow 4 the fungi to grow vegetatively without becoming pathogenic*. As such, the triterpenes of the leaf wax, the latex system and the wood and bark could serve. The ants may harvest the fungi as food, but they may also eat the sugars that are exuded by some fungi. Fungi are also cultivated by other insects as well as ants, in the trees and in the soil below the trees, e.g. by termites. Wood-boring and bark beatles cultivate (wood-rotting) fungi in trunks and beneath the bark. This results in food for these insects, rooting medium for epiphytes and degradation of the host trees. Degradation is essential for survival of the trees for two reasons: at first, continuous growth would exhaust the nutrient supply in the soil, which is very limited in these tropical forests. Degradation of dead plant parts liberates nutrients (especially phosphorous), necessary to sustain continued growth of the long-lived host trees and their epiphytes. Secondly, growth without degradation would soon result in immense trees, liable to be blown down by storms. In and on the soil, fungal degradation of litter (like leaves, bark and twigs) is also very important. Here too triterpenes, present in the litter and from resin, produced abundantly by many host trees, may control the otherwise pathogenic* soil-fungi. These so-called mycorrhizae are connected to the roots of the host tree and transport the freed nutrients, especially phosphate, back to the tree via a closed cycle. This prevents leaching to the environment, that would occur if degradation was done by bacteria, which release the nutrients in the soil water. The antibacterial properties of resin triterpenes (which resemble those of Hoya leaves very much) may be important to prevent such unwanted bacterial degradation. The mycorrhizae and the insect-associated fungi probably form one carbon and nutrient cycling system, essential for the survival of all participating plants, microorganisms and insects. For Hoyas, also the longevity of the leaves are important. Like most plant surfaces in tropical forests, the old leaves become covered with colonies of bacteria and fungi, and with mosses and lichens. A number of these organisms, especially bacteria and lichens, fix atmospheric nitrogen. This supplies the Hoya leaves with this essential element. The triterpenes of the wax layer, which are formed throughout the lifespan of the leaves, are supposed to protect the leaves against these so-called "epiphylls". The lifespan of the evergreen leaves is also important for plant-ant interactions. Like with the evergreen ant-acacias, this ensures a continuous supply of (photosynthetic) energy to the ants or to their fungi. So under natural conditions many, if not all Hoyas highly depend on the presence of insects like ants and their symbiotic fungi: for supply with nutrients, for their establishment and for the formation of a suitable rooting substrate. This is comparable to what has been known for a long time about Orchids. Of course our cultivated plants, like cultivated orchids may grow without these natural symbionts, but then, we will have to do the job ourselves. That this is not an easy task is clear from the many plants that are lost from collections in greenhouses. Therefore, much may be learned from nature, where the most viable and long-lasting plants are those that grow slow with a continuous supply of low levels of nutrients. And: don’t be afraid of ants and fungi, healthy plants can protect themselves. Literature [1] Schlechter, R. 1914. Die Asclepiadaceen von Deutsch-Neu-Guinea. Ch. 17 in: A. Engler, Botanische Jahrbucher fur Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 50,81-164 [2] Green, T. (1991-2) Hoyas/Dischidias and ants. Fraterna; p 6,7 [3] Baas, W.J. 1989. Secondary Plant Compounds, their ecological significance and consequences for the carbon budget. Introduction of the Carbon/Nutrient Cycle theory. In: Causes and Consequences of Variation in Growth Rate and Productivity of Higher Plants by H. Lambus et al., pp 313-340 SPB Academic Publishing by, The Hague, The Netherlands. *Pathogenic: Capable of producing disease§ 5 H. australis ssp. australis Picture sponsored by Pat Nichols in memory of Helen & Joe Beas Temperature, cultural conditions, chemical reaction, or quirk of fate? After 1 8 years of blooming with pure white flowers with just a little red under the corona, this particular hoya has suddenly reverted to blooming with bright red, diamond shaped patches on each petal tip. This photograph was taken in early February, and had eighteen umbels open at that time, each flower petal had this same red marking. Since that time, it has bloomed twice more, and each time the same red patches appear on the petals. I haven’t changed the potting mix, in fact it hasn’t been repotted in about 5 years. I vaguely remember reading a description several years ago, of an H. australis with dark pink triangle shapes radiating out from under the corona, and, I have seen this phenomena occasionally in H. calycina. H. bandaensis (also in the H. australis complex) is described as having dark pink stripes down the center of each petal, and it may very well have. It’s also a possibility that many of these hoya descriptions, where color is emphasized, were based on a one time occurrence. Each time I observe a drastic color change, or growth habit in my hoyas, I wonder how many times amateur collectors, and even some botanists have been fooled into thinking they had discovered something new. In cultivation, and under close scrutiny where we can record these unusual color patterns, we can be fairly certain when a plant is just "putting on a show". Out in the wild, it would be almost impossible to come upon a plant like this, and not believe that it was a different species, or at least a different variety of a particular species. Heaven only knows how many tricks Mother Nature has up her sleeve, to confound and confuse us. Ann Wayman 6 <1 Questions & Answers Question: Does the H. caudata var. crassifolia need any special growing conditions, or special care? M.J.A. Answer: I find H. caudata as easy to grow as most other hoyas. The only exception would be that they seem to thrive with more light, and grow weak and spindly without it. If they have been in a shaded area and have thin, dark green leaves, increase their light gradually until the leaves start to "toughen up". In proper light (not direct mid-day sun), the leaves will be hard and like card board, the coloring will change from dark green with silver flecks to iridescent lime green with large splotches of silver, maroon and pink. The flowers of this species are rather small, but absolutely exquisite. As with any hoya, allow to dry out somewhat between waterings. Question: Unlike the Hoya carnosa, my H. kerri seems to only bloom on "new" spikes, is this the nature of them? M.K. Answer: As a rule H. kerri will bloom over and over from old bloom spurs that remain on the plant for many years, as well as on the new growth. It certainly isn’t their nature to bloom only on new spikes. Perhaps your new growth has climbed up into a better light source, and so is receiving more light. Check to see if the lower part of your plant is being shaded by other plants overhead. Question: I have two H. kerri’s, but only one of them blooms. Why? M.K. Answer: H. kerri is a very good bloomer but needs a lot of light. If one is blooming and the other isn’t, check your lighting conditions, try a high phosphorous fertilizer (Peters Bloom is excellent), or, it may need repotting. If it’s a very old plant, take some cuttings and restart it. Many times these "new starts" will bloom profusely the first year, and for many years after. Question: My variegated hoya isn’t very robust, what can I do for it? Why don’t hoyas like to be touched? M.K. Answer: Many hoyas have variegated leaves, I will assume you mean the old carnosa type that most of us have at least one in our collections. Most of these are happy, healthy, robust growers that turn into beautiful specimen plants, but occasionally we find one that don’t. It’s possible that you got one that will never be a real robust plant. Some of them just don’t have enough chlorophyll in their tissues to keep them healthy. First, I would unpot the plant and check the roots for soil pests and to make sure the roots are not half rotted off from being kept too wet. If the roots look alright, repot the plant in a loose, fast draining mix, making sure the pot isn’t too big. If the roots are brown and mushy, or look like they have been chewed, take cuttings and restart the plant in fresh new mix. Give these variegated plants as much light as they can stand without burning the leaves and feed with an African Violet type fertilizer such as 12-36-14. If all else fails, toss this plant out and buy a new one. On the question of why hoyas don’t like to be touched, I’m afraid I’ve never heard that theory, and hope my plants don’t hear it either. I go through my greenhouse daily, touching plants, tying up vines, squashing aphids on the leaves, and sometimes I just "pet them" because I love them. I’ve never had any of my hoyas react adversely to being touched. They seem to like it. Question: I can’t get my hoyas to bloom. Is there some magic formula that some know about and others don’t, to get these things to bloom? L.B. Answer: Time, light and the proper growing conditions are the only magic formula I know of. There are a few 'tricks of the trade" that we sometimes use when everything else is right, but they still refuse to grant us a peek at their flowers. A high phosphorous fertilizer will sometimes boost a plant into flowering, One drop of Superthrive (a vitamin & hormone) to a gallon of water with each watering can do wonders for a shy bloomer, placing a plant in a well lighted bathroom where there is lots of humidity from the shower and bathtub can also work near miracles. When I’am invited into someones home to look over their plants and tell them why they don’t bloom, I usually find their plants hanging in a corner, at least four to six feet from the nearest window, or sitting on a table in the center of the room. The rooms are usually bright and well lighted enough for the humans that live there, however most flowering plants need two to four times that amount of light in order to bloom. I’ve had people say to me "I had that plant in bright light for months and it didn’t bloom until I put it in the shade". I think they answered their own question. The months of bright light is what formed the buds, and brought on the bloom. Chances are, if left in deep shade, they will never bloom again. Even outside, plants hanging beneath a wide overhanging roof may never get enough light to bloom. The magic formula, if there is one, is all in the right amount of light. Ann Wayman 7 BIRD TRACKS Robin # 2-February 1992-Mary Jean Sargent (Oregon) My green house is not done yet. My poor hoyas are crowded, not enough light, and need repotting, maybe only another week. How I look forward to a great season of blooms. Right now I have H. pachyclada laden with blooms, one of the first in Spring, also multifiora. I have had a H. keysii that has never bloomed, then late last Fall a younger plant had one cluster of blooms and again this Spring from the same peduncle. The plant we call H. pubera* bloomed for me last Fall, i have several of different sizes that have always looked scraggly, then in Sept-Oct every one of them had a cluster of blooms at every leaf node. With good light, multiflora blooms 1 0 months of the year. Lana, the reasons that not many hoyas are grown from seed are several, an important one being that vegetative reproduction by cuttings is so easy and so much faster, you soon have a big plant. The real place for seed would be if someone wants to cross two different species to get hybrids with new characteristics, combinations of (possibly) the most desirable traits of both. Robin # 5-January 1992-Ann Wayman (Oregon) I’m a great believer in "larger" pots for my hoyas; at least most of them, There are a few that have very tiny roots and are much happier in 2 to 3 inch pots, however with my busy schedule, I can't keep them watered, and they dry out much too fast, so Urn happier when I can get them into at least a 5" pot, and just as soon as they get a good healthy root system, that’s where they get put, whether they like it or not. They all get watered once a week or sometimes once every ten days depending on how many other projects I have going at the time. Robin # 5-March 1992-Pat Nichols (Colorado) I’m one of those people who take their plants to work. ! have a cutting of ‘Silver Pink" that is growing up the cord of the blinds in my office. It always attracts attention. Imagine the attention it will attract when it Powers!! Robin # 3— April 19921 -Gary Raatz (Wisconsin) Not much in the way of hoya activity around here. I've potted up a number of baskets since mid-March to get the plants settled in before they are moved outside sometime in May (weather permitting). Growth under the lights is slow but sure for some species, others take the winter off and hibernate while some blossom almost year round. Robin # 3— April 1992-Benigne Dohms (Florida) Sphagnum/moss balls and osmunda fiber has not worked well for me. I have found driftwood on the beach here but haven’t used it because it seems so salty. When it comes to my plants, I guess I’m not very brave or daring. I would like to experiment with cork bark but have not had much luck finding a local source. Robin # 3-April 1992-Dale Kloppenburg (California) I have lost a lot of plants over the winter, even more than usual. The problem is that I must quit somewhere, as I am getting more than I can take care of effectively. I keep getting new cuts in and the old ones continue to grow. I moved all of my basket plants out a little too early. Some were ready to bloom, but the cold nights put a stop to that. My first plant to bloom this spring was H. eitapensis, then my little H. heuscheliana. I understand David Liddle has a different colored done of heuscheliana (I believe it is yellow). I received a letter from Dr. Domingo Madulid at the National Herbarium in Manila. We will have a wri^e up on him and a run-down on the "Flora of the Philippines" project soon. Good things are happening. I am also getting 44 herbarium sheets for study. The next letter was from one of our Thailand members who sent some flowers for study, some cuttings and a lot of information. All that will keep me busy for a few days. If some of you would like a challenge or just something new to do, try some grafts. It is relatively easy and you can create some interesting foliage combinations if you like. Cut off the stem of the plant that you will be grafting on to, just above a node (The node is where the growth hormones are concentrated, also the physical structure is better there). Use a sharp razor blade or surgical scalpel to slit the cut end open a little. Make a short graft (scion) and cut it into a tapering wedge, and I believe through a nodal area. The open slice (wedge) should be about as long as the slit you have made in the "parent" species. The wedge should be very thin, since you do not want the scion to spread the parent cut too far apart. Insert the scion. I water overhead, so I have found that I need to use a little Vaseline over the incision to keep the water out. It’s fun and a real challenge. Robin # 3-June, 1992-Bill Crews (Georgia) ! took pictures today of the nine baskets of Hoya australis that I planted last year in 9 different mixes - am surprised at the results! I! i like germinating the open pollinated seed to see if they come true - species or hybrids-??? My 8 Hoya imbricata on drift wood and cork bark are starting to grow - Wooo peee!!! All I want to do now is successfully pollinate this guy (girl?) and get a seed pod of my own!!!. Hey! - gang, if you have a seed pod form on any of your hoyas send them to me for the seed funds, just let me know the circumstances of the pod - open pollinated, hand pollinated (wish I could!), whatever.... I’ll send them on to anyone who would like to grow some hoyas from seed and report back on their progress with them. I planted 5 seed each of two different hoyas yesterday and tonight I see green - that means they are germinating and viable. How quick they germinate!!! But then, old seed don’t!!! * The plant formerly called H. pubera, has been identified as H. nummularioides. Note from Ann. ..We would love to see Bill bombarded with hoya seed to distribute, not just to IHA members, but to hoya lovers everywhere. If any of you have seed or ripe pods, please send them on to Bill Crews, 5862 Musket Lane, Stone Mountain, GA 30087. A tip on preserving seed is to make a tiny pillow of iron-on pellon (can be purchased at a sewing or craft shop) Cut 2, 2" squares, iron 3 sides together to form an envelope, then place a half teaspoon of dry powdered milk in the center and iron the 4th side shut. Place these little "powdered milk sachets" in the container with your seed (envelopes work great as a container). This method has been used for African Violet seed funds for many years, and helps to keep the seed viable up to 4 times as long as it would otherwise. It would also be helpful to place your seed "container" in a small padded mailer so the seed doesn’t get crushed on it’s way to Bill. 9 H. micrantha ith a distribution from Southern Burma to Northern Thailand, this pretty W hoya is a profuse bloomer with very stiff, card board-like leaves. There are two different types of foliage for this plant. The one we see most often has leaves about 2 1/2" to 3" long by 1 1/2" wide, opposite, drab (not shiny) medium green in color, and have a rough texture (almost pebbly), and tiny purple specks on the backs, the internodes are quite close together. The alternate type has 9" long by 2" wide, oblanceolate, veiy thick, lime green leaves. Individual specimens sometimes have both types of leaves on the same plant. The flowers are identical on both. A dark rose/red crown surrounded by a fuzzy pinkish green corolla that is reflexed backwards into a tight ball, and though not especially showy, they are very pretty and a medium sized plant in a 5" pot can have hundreds of flowers opened at a time. This plant is not the least bit fussy and will adapt to any fast draining potting mix. H. micrantha, Hook. f. Photo sponsored by Anne Geaudreau (Idaho) 10 H. finlaysonii, Wight Our Cover Picture This plant purchased from "Rainforest Plantes et Fleurs" in 1988 has been an absolute joy. Not only does it Display some of the fanciest foliage in the hoya genus, it blooms at a very early age with these stunning, Ivory and mahogany colored flowers that appear to be polished to a high sheen. The leaves are extremely thick, medium green with dark olive green reticulations and often have a dark green margin. The texture is heavy and feels like cardboard. The leaf stems are very short. Some have reported that this species needs very high humidity in order to bloom, but that has not been my experience with them. I find that they bloom profusely in 50% humidity, and in fact seem to lose leaves and flower buds both in extremely high humidity. Another report that the flowers last only one day has been completely dispelled in my green house, where I have had flowers last up to four days in perfect condition. I use a purchased "all purpose" potting mix for this plant, and add some builders sand to insure very fast drainage. This plant very much resents having cold, wet feet, but on the other hand, it should never be allowed to dry out completely. A badly wilted plant that has lost most of its root system, will usually not recover, and should be restarted from cuttings. This species needs very bright light in order to bloom well, but the foliage will also fade and lose much of its beautiful lace-like pattern. To bring back the dark green, feed once or twice with a high nitrogen fertilizer (such as 30-10-10), and place in partial shade for a month or so. Not Enough? well, it also has one of the most delicious fragrances you can imagine. Sponsored by RAINBOW GARDENS, NURSERY & BOOK SHOP, 1444 E. TAYLOR ST., VISTA, CA 92084, and dedicated to Cronberg’s Camera Shop, 839 East Pine St, Central Point, OR 97502. Were it not for the expert professionals at Cronberg’s Camera Shop who faithfully reprint photos for us by the thousands, we would not be able to bring you all these lovely photos that are fea- tured in "Fraterna". A round of applause and our heartfelt THANKS, to CRONBERG’S CAMERA SHOP. ANNOUNCEMENT We now have Pictures volumes 1 1 & 12 available, featuring some of our old hoya friends in breath- taking poses, plus many of the newer discoveries that have come on the scene in the past year. Ann Wayman i n Photo sponsored by Mary Jean Sargent H. naumannii Schlechter This plant was purchased from "Rainforest Plantes et Fleurs" as H. naumannii, and appears to be a high climbing species in the H. australis complex. The only noticeable feature that sets it apart from H. australis being the dusky rose colored blooms, and deep red center that radiates down each petal, almost to the tips. The blossoms are quite large, over 1" across on my plant. The leaves of this plant are large, some are almost round, others are slightly elongated, or oval shaped, bright healthy green, and completely glabrous (smooth, no fuzz). This plant can grow huge and rampant unless pruned back drastically. The pruning doesn’t seem to hamper it’s blooming, as new branches form in abundance, and each new branch is soon loaded with bloom spurs. I have this plant in a 1 0" plastic, hanging basket. The potting mixture is an organic mix of peat moss, composted fir bark, mushroom compost, coarse vermiculite, perlite, and dolomite lime. It has a pH rating of approximately 6.5 (very slightly acid). This is a purchased product that I buy at a local garden center. Although it is stated on the sack that this product is steam sterilized, I still pasteurize this mix in my oven before using it. To pasteurize any potting mix, place a quantity in a large metal or granite container with a lid, and heat to 180 degrees in your oven. Hold at this temperature for at least twenty minutes, and cool thoroughly before using. This will kill any soil born insects such as soil mealy bugs, springtails, nematodes etc. I usually add extra perlite for added drainage protection, and a small amount of oyster shell (1 , 2" pot full per large turkey roaster of mix) to stabilize the acid from the peat moss over a long period of time. Ann Wayinan 12 Now Available The complete translated works of Dr. F.R.R. Schlechter’s Hoyas of N.E. New Guinea. Featuring: 100 + Pages complete with copies of all available herbarium sheets. 49 Hoya descriptions translated into English. An itinerary of Dr. Schlechter, covering the years 1901-1910 New Extra Heavy Cover ISBN 0-9630489-2-9 A New Book Of Hoyas Featuring : 37 Hoyas of the Philippines Key to identification Culture section Habitat & Altitude section Several hoyas featured in full color Over 100 pages with complete descriptions in English + beautiful line drawings. ORCA PUBLISHING CO. P.O. Box 1003 Medford, OR 97501-0071 $14.95 each plus $3.00 S/H USA Canadian & foreign orders will be billed for shipping at cost. Please indicate Airmail or surface mail. 13 "VICKI’S EXOTIC PLANTS'" Big New Catalogue for 1992 Episcias, Begonias And Hoyas Wide Variety Licensed Retail Nursery U.SA. Sales Only $1.00 for large descriptive list (503) 826-6318 Vicki Graves owner (503) 826-6318 522 Vista Park Dr. Eagle Point, OR 97524 (503) 826-6318 r THE HOYA CONNECTION lots of varieties r ~\ U.S.A. Sales Only Send $1.00 for a list of available cuttings! Cindy Hay r The Association for plant & flower people who grow in hobby greenhouses and windows! Quarterly Magazine Growing & Maintenance Help & Advice Hobby Greenhouse Association 8 Glen Terrace, Bedford, MA 01730*2048 Due* $12 USA, $14 Canada, $15 Overseas Sample magazine $3 y V 14 We now have twelve complete volumes of pictures ready as follows. ($5.90 per set of ten prints or any two sets for $10.50 first class postage paid, overseas $15.50 per two sets. Volume 1 H. australis H. lacunosa H. pubicalyx ‘Fresno Beauty’ H. multiflora H. serpens H. sp. tanna H. sp. Bangkok #4 H. obovata (Foliage) H. Globulosa (Foliage) H. meredithii (Foliage) Volume 2 H. ‘Mini Belle’ H. latifolia H. sp. Chiange Mai H. variegata H. compacta H. obscura H. pubicalyx ‘Bright one’ H. bella H. shepherdii H. polystachya (Foliage Volume 3 H. cinnamomifolia H. gracilis H. pubicalyx (Dark Red Seedling) H. laurifolia (this is PNG 4) H. arnottiana H. kenejiana H. kerrii (Fuzzy leaf) H. acuta (Green Form) H. pachyclada H. obovata Volume 4 H. fuscomarginata H. species # F -454 (long skinny leaf) H. polystachya H. acuta (lemon scented) H. species # CI-1244 H. species # F-484 H. species USDA # 354246 H. pubicalyx Cv. Red Buttons H. species (New Guinea Gold) H. nicholsoniae IML 37 (Golden Yellow, pure white corona) Volume 5 H. citrina H. nicholsoniae # 39 H. cumingiana H. neo ebudica H. padangensis H. camphorifolia H. inconspicua H. caudata var. crassifolia H. Spec. PNG-1 H. erythrina Volume 6 H. fraterna H. coronaria Form 1 H. limoniaca H. bilobata H. Spec. PNG-6 H. tsangi H. diptera H. acuta (bronze) H. fungii H. diversifolia-B Volume 7 H. carnosa cv. "Krinkle 8" H. Sp. Saba Malaysia H.Sp.WMZ H. polyneura H. Sp. WMZ (Back of flower & calyx) H. nummularioides (formerly pubera) H. acuta Penang H. plicata H. carnosa cv. "Dapple Gray" H. keysii Volume 8 H. purpureo fusca (The real one) H. odorata H. pottsii H. Sp. IML 33 H. picta H. pseudo littoralis H. nicholsoniae (from Logee’s) H. micrantha H. vitiensis H. curtisii (foliage) Volume 9 H. sp. USDA # 354236 (H. calycina) H. merrilli H. afflnis H. darwinii H. pubicalyx ‘Chimera’ H. sp. ‘Gold Star’ H. sp. # BSI-1 H. archboldiana (Red Form) H. finlaysonii H. naumanii Volume 10 H. pubicalyx ‘Silver Pink’ H. rupicola H. vittelina H. sp. IML # 234 H. meliflua H. engleriana H. megalaster H. archboldiana (Pink Form) H. sp. Bangkok Red H. sp. cebu New Offering Volume 11 & 12 H. mitrata H. sp. DAV-817 H. dimorpha H. multiflora H. sp. Sabah, Malaysia #IML 557 H. vitellina H. poolei H. pallida H. sp. Kuching, Borneo # IML 232 H. chlorantha var. tutuilensis H. eitapensis H. kentiana H. sussuella (ariadna) H. erythrostemma H. incrassata H. chuniana H. diptera (from Fiji) H. curtisii/pruinosa H. cominsii H. sp. New Guinea White Pictures International Hoya Association P.O. Box 5130 Central Point, OR. 97502 HOYA HIGHLIGHTS HoyaHighiigJits! Care & Culture of “Th© Stars" By Dale Kloppemburg Care & Culture of The Stars By Dale Kloppenburg The book we’ve all been waiting for "Hoya Highlights'* will take you deep into New Guinea jungles and coastal forests. The Islands and Mountains of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, China, Japan, and even the Australian Desert. This book is designed to sell for $50.00 retail. A limited number of this 200 page 1st edition will be printed for IHA members only and sold at a Pre-publishing price of $39.95 + $3.00 postage USA. Overseas members will be billed for postage at cost, please indicate airmail or surface on your order. A limit of two (2) books at this price. Retailers, write or call for information. Never before has such a complete and comprehensive study been presented for Hoya lovers everywhere. The emphasis here is on care & culture. With chapters to enchant the window grower, captivate the green house grower, and console the outdoor gardener •Growing under lights •Pollination •Growing from seed •Potting mixes •Making cuttings •Potting & repotting •Pruning •Hoya Hangers •Grafting •Pests & diseases •Medicinal use •How to cope with vines •Mini’s & Monsters •Over 100 photos in beautiful laser color. 2 Fungus Hoya species Bangkok if 4 ... .2 rigida 2 Myths 5 Nematodes ro^l' knot 3 May, June 1988 Glossary, Latin terms 1 Hoya species australis 4 macgillivrayi 2 * Leaves , yellowing 6 Photographs 7 July, August 1900 Glossary, Latin terms 7 Hoya identification 6 Hoya species BSI-1 3 * Mealybugs 5 Member registry 0,9,10, 11,12,13 September, October 1908 Aphids 5,6 Glossary, Latin terms 12,13,14 Gnats 10 Hoya species benguotensis . . . .. tu. ni.z . 9. clorantha var. tutuilensis 1 * Pes ticides 10 Pho tographs 3 November, December 1900 Hoya species incrassata 4 * Photographs 2 Propagation 7 *=photograph Fob j ua r y I 9 0 9 .January, Aphids. . Apl ii ' I lien Fa » I i I i 7, a i ( Fi J 1 1 14 4 9 Pliol niji a pi l s 6 9 6 7 4 '1 4 4 . 4 I (J I March, April 1909 Aphids 4 Iloya jackal':; I 4 publication 10 r par; i as a n pi. i s 1 i. f o I i a 13 pn I ynoiii.a 0 51 a 1 pans . . . . . . . . 9 1 saiMi i ...13 If 1 IS 7 0 ... 1 3 Map , won 1 oi u Pac i 1 i c rim 7 Mo, a 1 ybnqs .... .... 4 M i 1 a;; .... 4 Now Mu i non . . . 11,13 Pho 1 odraphs . . .4,1 5 May , June 1909 liny a r. par i a s ba I I a 8* bo I la varioqnla 9 ba I I a va r - pax t on i i . . . . 9 kari i i 13* r.i'i pon.'; 13* P 1 1 f » 1 or j r - a p b s Voir.. 1 - 4 .... 1 July, Auyust .1.909 Apb ids Co I alias Iloya species pj ac i I i s Icicunosa ol) sen j;a Map- Amp Map , Far, I I nd i ar, . M a a 1 y b 1 1 ( j r, I’ J an I. lipids 4 .... 1 0 V) , 7 * , 0 3 * 4 9 4 P ho 1 op r a pl\:> Veils . 1 — 4 1 P ropapa I inn 6 Soil ph 4 ! larch , A p r i 1 1 9 9u Beetles 9 Hoy a flower.... 4 jackets 1,2 pollinaria 5 species ariadna 8 arn.pt tiana 3* bertgue tens is 10 carnosa variegata cover corona ariadnes 8 cumingiana 12 diversifolia B 13 f u n g i i 10 gigas 8 globulosa 9 imbricata 13 meredithii 10 numbered species 6,7 pic ta 9 purpureo- f usca 11 schneei 10 serpens 12 sussuela 8* T-shirts 1,2 Mea lybugs 9 Photographs Vols . 1-8 17 Robins 10,11 Silver pink vine 11 Workshop news 12 October 1909 . . 7 0,7 . . 6 Sop l dill )0 !.? G row j n g tips.. Iloyn on 1 y x . . . . pod i co l . . pod i mo 1 o . s poc; i ns n n g u s t i i o 1 1 a 9 cm idn l;n 3* fnm] i i 3 m;ic(| 1 1 .1 i v r a y i 9 non- obud i on 0 * I sftiKji 9 II ns 7 o 9 fliisi 9 Mn I nyr, i n 1 Misting system 5 Photographs Vols . 1-6 11 Pho l og rapliy <\ , 9 Th r i ps 4,9 Virus .10 Novombe j , Deccmbo r 1 90 9 Uoyn article, topi iii Lcid . . . .7-3.0 co trolla 5,6* s | > e c i. o s efi ouos a 2 cuni.i ny iana cover , 3 * ' M inn i.o nolle' 2 ohnva in 11* pnbica.lyx 2 cv . "Cliitneara" 2 rv. "Pod But tons" 2 sbeplio rd i i 2 ibo 1 og raphs Vo I s .1-6 12 Jannai y , Feb ruary 1 9 90 Absci. sic acrid 0 Auxin 7 Cy to kin ins 7 j 0 Ethylene 0 G ibbere J I ins 7 lloyn corona 2*, 3 b yb r id s 12 s poc i o s o i nnamoni 1 folia 9 pane ill ora cover, 6* Interview, Loyce Andrews . . . 4 , 5 Plio tographs VoJ.s .1-6 13 Rob i ns 9 Spring tai l s 9 FRATERNA Official Bulletin for "Internationa! Hoya Association" 3rd. Quarter 1992 ISSN 10055-4564 LIBRARY NOV 9 1992 fVEW TURK BOTANICAL uARDEN H. coriacea, Biume INTERNATIONAL HOYA ASSOCIATION (Formerly Hoya Society-West Coast) P.O.Box 5130 Central Point, OR 97502 (503) 664-6808 A Non-Profit Organization Bulletin published quarterly. Present rates for a 1 year membership, which includes our quarterly publication are $12.00 per year, $15.00 per year overseas. All overseas mail is sent by airmail. Officers And Editors President Dale Kloppenburg Vice President John Scoville Secretary/T reasurer Ann Wayman Editor Ann Wayman Board Of Directors William J. Wayman Paula Lake Lina Paul Rudy Bachmann Wayne Scott Gary Raatz Chuck Everson (Chairman) Editorial Board Mary B. Welch 508 East 117th St Jenks, OK 74037 Advertising We have advertising available at the following rates: Full page camera ready ad $45.00 per issue Half page camera ready ad $30.00 per issue Quarter page camera ready ad $20.00 per issue 1 /8th page camera ready ad $15.00 per issue You may also send us your handwritten or typed ad on a plain sheet of paper and one of your business cards and we will lay out your ad for you. There will be a one time set-up fee on this extra service of $25.00 to be added to our research fund. A copy of your ad will be sent to you for proofing before final printing in our newsletter. The deadline for all advertising is: February 15 for the March issue May 15 for the June issue August 15 for the September issue November 15 for the December issue We also accept advertising on a per year basis. You may deduct 10% for the same ad running consecutively in four issues. Payment in advance, Please!. Back Issues We now have the thirteen original issues of the Hoya Society -West Coast newsletter bound as one publication. The price of this bound text is $25.00 U.S. and $55.00 shipped airmail overseas. Due to the extra pages and pic- tures in our new publication "Fraterna", we must, out of necessity, increase our prices for back issues of "Frater- na'' to $4.00 per issue, $6.00 per issue shipped airmail overseas. Announcement Jackets & Tee Shirts Due to lack of interest, we will no longer be able to supply jackets or tee shirts with the I.H.A. logo. We still have 13 tee shirts left as follows: medium (3 blue, 3 pink), small (2 blue, 1 pink), large (3 pinkb extra large (1 pink). Who says you have to raffle off plants at a plant raffle! If you don’t want to wear these tee shirts, donate one or more to your local club as a raffle item. We need to get the money that was paid out for these tee shirts back into circulation-SO-Let’s Make A Deal! buy 1 or a baker’s dozen. Anyone interested please write or call Ann Wayman c/o I.H.A . P.O. Box 51 30, Central Point, OR 97502. (503) 664- 6808 It’s A Fact MINI-METHUSELAHS In the arid White Mountains of California, stunted bristlecone pines-the world’s oldest trees-cling to a tenuous life and still grow very slowly in the occasional rainfall after 4,600 years of life. But they are not the oldest living things on earth. In sandstone rocks in a dry valley of Antarctica lives a colony of tiny lichens, primitive partnerships of plant and fungus. American scientists have calculated these lichens to be at least 10,000 years old. TIME CAPSULE The oldest known living seed came from a North American arctic lupine. It was found in 1954 buried in frozen silt near Miller Creek in the central Yukon, Canada, by a mining engineer named Schmidt. Scientists deter- mined it had been there for about 10,000 years. Yet when the scientists planted it, a lupine grew that was identical to the modern plant. Today seed banks keep stocks of seeds in similarly cold, dry conditions so that rare and en- dangered species are assured of a future. Reprinted from: Reader’s digest Book Of Facts The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. Pleasantville, New York 1 H. coriacea, Blume Our cover photo sponsored by Frances WSIkes Discovered by Dr. Blume in mountain woods on the western side of Java. Mr. Thomas Lobb detected it in the same island, on Mount Salak, and transmitted living plants to the rich nursery of Messrs. Veitch at Exeter, in whose collection this handsome species first bloomed in August 1849. It is a climber, and requires the heat of the stove. After two years of many starts, stops and dropped buds, this beautiful species finally opened one umbel of flowers in August. The foliage of this plant is especially nice. The leaves are large, and rather thin for a Hoya, with nice veins that give them a quilted look. The species name "coriacea" seems to suggest that the leaves are leathery, and perhaps they are when dried. To me, the fresh foliage of a living plant looks like a very slick, lush, blue/green, quilted, vinyl. The flowers are about 3/4" (1.9 cm.) across, pale yellow with a light brownish tinge. The petals reflex backwards slightly to reveal long, silky, yellow hairs, especialiy from about the middle to the petal tips. The feature that sets this flower apart, is the very plump, pure white corona scales, that look like tiny white eggs. I could not detect any fragrance, but the individual flowers lasted 10 days in perfect condition before dropping. It is an easy Hoya to grow, but sensitive to cold. Likes lots of bright light to bloom, no direct sun. Plant in a very well drained soil mix, and keep slightly moist in summer, almost dry during the winter. Ann Wayman President’s Message In calling Ann Wayman the other evening, I was glad to hear that new memberships continue to roll in. It is a good feeling to know that interest in Hoyas, as well as in our organization is increasing daily. It is also heartening to hear of the warm reception we have had to our "Sponsor a Picture" program. Due to the success of this campaign, we have been able to continue with at least 5 pictures per issue, plus we have made it through another year without an increase in membership dues. Ann tells me that it takes close to 35 hours just to tape in all the pictures, but says it is a labor of love, and hopes that we continue to enjoy them. I have been asked what it takes to sponsor a colored picture in Fraterna. The cost is $25.00, and you may dedicate your particular picture to an individual, advertise your business, announce a birth or wedding.. whatever. Use your imagination! What better way to say something special, to a special someone. If there is a particular Hoya picture you would like us to feature, please let us know that also. We will be happy to feature your selection if we have a negative available. As we all know, one picture is worth a thousand words. So my answer is.. .keep those $25.00 picture sponsorship checks coming, so we can continue to bring you lots of pretty pictures. It will also help you to decide which Hoyas you would most like to grow. As I was resting in bed last night I was thinking of another way we could immediately increase our membership to 800, 1200 or more members. For less thanthe price of a dinner out for two ($12.00 U.S., $15.00 overseas & Canada) you can give a membership to a friend, local library or college-you might even consider a membership to your family doctor or dentist to replace those horrible magazines some of them have in their waiting rooms. I now give three subscriptions and probably should consider more, so why not join me and really see the interest in Hoyas grow. In my area at this time of year my thoughts are not only on increased membership, but since the nights are getting a little cooler I am thinking of moving all my outdoor plants inside. It is not too early to think ahead. Check the heaters, and your insulation, make sure there are no cracks or holes for drafts to get through. Down under... Get ready for spring! This has been the best year for flower blooming I have ever experienced here in California. I have heard the same from many other growers. Was it the cooling effect of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines? We have some good articles and new pictures coming up, so stay tuned and. ..Go get those new members!. Dale Kloppenburg 2 MEMBER CLOSEUP bv Chuck Everson One of our most avid and hardworking members is Lina Paul. Lina hails from Escondido, California, but she originally came to the United States in 1960 from Bessarabia (a country on the Black Sea in between Russia and Romania). Her love for all kinds of plants started when she was 1 2 years old when she got "hooked" on cacti and succulents. After getting married and having four children, Lina decided to open up Marin Cactus Patch in Marin County, California. Initially a mailorder operation, she specialized in Epiphyllums, Hoyas, Lithops and Mesembs. In 1987 she gave up her Nursery to move to Escondido where she now resides with her husband, Dieter, and dabbles in all kinds of plants. As Hoyas are one of Lina’s favorite types of plants, one wonders why. She says "because they are so beautiful--so unusual, fragrant, easy to grow— why not?" One of the reasons why Lina’s interest in Hoyas has picked up over the last 5 years is that she can now grow them outside, under trees, in her little lath house-just about everywhere! And no heating bills! Some of her favorite Hoyas are: H. cinnamomifolia, H. diversifolia, H. imperialis, H. macgillivrayi, and H. obovata. Back in 1988, Una got a letter from the Hoya Society West Coast (nowthel.H.A.), asking her to join. In two days, her check was in the mail, as she wanted to know more about growing Hoyas, and to get to know more people involved with Hoyas. Lina is currently one of the Board of Directors of the International Hoya Association and is taking an active role in initially setting up the I.H.A. slide and video library which will be announced later in an upcoming Fraterna. Lina’s interest in Hoyas and the I.H.A. does not stop there. She was instrumental in forming the San Diego Hoya Group in early 1990, with quarterly meetings now averaging 50-60 people in attendance. I asked Lina what direction she thought the I.H.A. and the San Diego Hoya Group should be going. She indicated that she saw positive growth points in both clubs; constantly growing, with excellent information addressed to both the layman AND the advanced grower at the same time-a blend of both worlds. Any final or parting words to our members, Lina? —"Enjoy your plants. Enjoy the Fraterna. I know you can grow Hoyas anywhere! Maybe not so easy in some areas, but you CAN do it! Have fun!!" Lina Paul Photo sponsored by: Rainbow Gardens Nursery & Bookshop 1444 E. Taylor St. Vista, Calif 92084 3 I.H.A. President: Dale Kloppenburg San Diego Hoya Group June 28, 1992 There was a little earth shaking news this morning about 5:00 a.m. and followed later with still more ground movement. Guess we are kind of used to earthquakes around here, as it didn’t slow down any members to the meeting. Actually Quail Botanical Garden is in Encinitas, a little north and East of San Diego itself. The garden is an example of drought resistant plants making a most welcome showy appearance but other plants are showing stress problems and dying off. The theme is rustic and well done! The meeting started off with Harriette Schapiro conducting old business, new business, and all kinds of business in between. The library report was quite favorable and the treasurer’s report, courtesy of Dieter Paul, was very rosy. There is a fine representation of interest for Hoyas here in San Diego and the participation is almost overwhelming. A nice tribute to those who make it all possible, but if names were named, there wouldn’t be enough room for this article. Chuck Everson mentioned the next meeting to be held at Rainbow Gardens on September 20th. with the I.H.A. board meeting the day before. Chuck also introduced our guest speaker, Dale Kloppenburg, who will explain some of his antics in the South Pacific region that includes Bogor, Java/Indonesia. Dale started off his slide show with wonderful pictures of the Bogor Botanical Gardens including many plants, trees, and even the special buildings and palace. The theme setting was from late 1987 to April 1988 and included a few shots of Geof Dennis and the late Peter Tsang in Australia. The dialogue was most interesting as Dale knew the areas well. What followed was a dazzling display of Hoyas and Dischidias. A very nice way to spend an afternoon! The raffle was also a good one, with many different Hoya species and varieties being represented. There were so many the raffle had to be suspended to allow everyone to pick out what they desired. We sure had a lot of fun picking through the many cuttings and potted plants to see if we could find something new and different. If you are planning to be in the San Diego area September 20th plan to attend the next meeting. Join us and have a great time! by John Scoville Hello All You HOYA Fans Out There! We’re going to have a FANTASTIC September meeting of the San Diego Hoya Group at Rainbow Gardens, and you’re invited to attend... in fact, we’re COUNTING ON IT!! The date is Sunday, September 20, the time is 1 2:00 p.m. (you can come anytime after 11:30 a.m. and visit-we’re hoping you will)! The place: RAINBOW GARDENS NURSERY & BOOKSHOP, 1444 E. Taylor Street, Vista, Calif. 92084. We’re going to have a FABULOUS old fashioned HAMBURGER AND HOT DOG BBQ. The meat will be supplied by the club, and the buns to be supplied by Chuck & Jerry of Rainbow Gardens. If you volunteered to bring something, a reminder note is enclosed in this letter to you. For the rest, just bring something appropriate to the barbecue. We’re not picky. The menu should consist of desserts, salads, fruit, cheese/crackers, chips (and dips). Liquids will be soft drinks, coffee, wine and beer. Don’t forget--we’re becoming famous for our massive dessert choices! Our meeting will be most interesting. We’re going to have an informal panel discussion with the Board of Directors and Officers of the International Hoya Association (they will be meeting at Rainbow Gardens the day before--more about this later), so it will be a good time for all of you to get acquainted and re-acquainted with all those wonderful people— and ask them any questions you want about Hoyas and Hoya growing. Our moderator should have a list of questions to put forth to our panelists, and we’ll throw any questions you might have from the audience back to the panelists. Should be quite interesting! We’ll finish the meeting with a GIANT Hoya raffle-so please bring some Hoya cuttings and plants for the raffle. If you are in short supply of Hoya cuttings, bring any other type of plant you wish. I know I can count on you all! (All the Board Members are bringing Hoya cuttings, so we’re sure to have some unusual/new/rare ones for sure!). At this meeting Dieter Paul will be taking reservations/payment for our annual Christmas Dinner. It will be held on December 20th, at the King’s Inn (San Diego). It was such a tremendous hit last year and the year before, that it was unanimously selected again. The cost is $1 8.00 per person. If anyone has a problem with that fee, please contact Dieter (619) 432-8640 direct, and we will work something out. We don’t want to see ANYONE left out of our Christmas get together. We have the room from 12:00 noon to 4:30 p.m. After dinner, the main event will be a spectacular slide show of Ann Wayman’s place in Central Point, Oregon. It will be like a "walk through" of her Nursery, and an idea of how she grows Hoyas and how she puts out the Fraterna every 90 days. It will be great! After the slide show, our usual plant give away will take place. Don’t miss this event-it’s the best one of the year! For those of you who just can’t make it to our September 20th meeting, but would like to attend our annual Christmas Dinner, please send payment to Dieter Paul (our treasurer) at: 1230 Destree Rd. Escondido, CA 92027. Please send early so that we can be assured that everything goes smoothly. Well, that’s it for now. Hope to see you all on the 20th of September— anytime after 11:30 A.M. at Rainbow Gardens! BRING A FRIEND!! Chuck Everson, Ass’t Chairperson) (In the absence of Harriette Schapiro, Chairperson) P.S.--The annual Board Meeting of the International Hoya Association (I.H.A.) will be held Saturday, September 19th, 1992 at Rainbow Gardens. Any I.H.A. member is invited. If you wish to attend, please call Chuck Everson at (619) 758-4290 so that he can arrange for seating and additional refreshments. (Ed: Because of the late mail-out of this issue of Fraterna, this meeting is now over but thought you might want to know about the goings on of the San Diego Hoya Group & learn about their exciting Christmas party in December. All are invited!). Toward A Better Understanding * by Dale Kloppenburg What’s in a name ? Well often a dispute over pronunciation. More often controversy over spelling of the name. A case in point of the latter is the spelling of the name of the beautiful little Hoya found near the seashore from New Guinea through the Solomon Islands. It is found dangling from beach trees in profusion. I hesitate to spell its name ! The Type sheet # 1 3675 in the Berlin Herbarium bears the name, in Dr. Schlechter’s own handwriting, Hoya littoralis Schltr. It bears the date October 1901 . When this species was published as a new species in K. Schumann and Lauterbach’s "Nachtrage zur Flora der Deutchen Schutzgebeite in der Sudsee" in 1 905 the name appears spelled H. litoralis (with one T. I know from personal experience how easy it is for spelling errors to creep into print. Then, as now, it was often the typesetter who erred. I think it safe to assume that the author (Dr. Schlechter) knew how he wished it spelled or more likely just how he spelled the word. It was just misspelled when put into print. That could be the end of "better understanding", but let us look a little further. The name is derived from a Latin root Lads. Ah at last! We find, however that the New Latin (Modern) is littus. So here we are again Classical "litoralis" or Modern Littoralis, which means by the sea shore. Our little species was given a very appropriate name. The French word is "Littoral". So where are we now? Caught between Classical and Modern! Personally! bow to the author Dr. Friedrich Richard Rudolph Schlechter and blame the typesetter and the proofreader for the error and spell it properly Hoya littoralis Schlechter. At any rate, I’m confident that most of us enjoy the plant regardless of one T or two. Some might say what difference does it make!. 5 I Questions St Answers Question: Recently I visitied a home where hoyas were in bloom everywhere. Not just a few flowers here and there, but literally hundreds of umbels open, all at the same time. The lady of the house told me all her plants were foliar fed. What does that mean, and what are the advantages of foliar feeding? J.H. Answer: Foliar feeding is the process of feeding plants through the leaves, and is usually accomplished by spraying a very dilute (1/4 strength or less) fertilizer solution directly on the leaves. The food is absorbed through tiny pores in the leaves, and is a very fast source of food for leaves, leaf stems, and buds. So many of us use soiless plant mixes anymore that I can see where an occasional foliar feeding along with root feeding would be an advantage. I have an excellent article that was submitted for printing, that gives a very detailed description of how and why foliar feed works, but it will have to wait for a future issue. Question: I was told I should give my plants a bath. I can’t help but wonder... Why? C.A. Answer: About 25 years ago, when I first started growing African Violets, someone told me the same thing. I thought she was plumb loco, cause everybody knew "you never got water on African Violet leaves". After a year or so of growing, my plants were looking a little grungie, so i bought a soft, pure bristle, paint brush and started brushing my leaves. The dust that was flying off my leaves looked like a Kansas dust storm. I had somewhere in the neighborhood of six hundred plants, and brushing each leaf on all of those plants was going to take at least 8 hours a day for a week or more. I gathered up some courage, took 25 of them to the kitchen sink, gritted my teeth, and sprayed them thoroughly with warm water from the sink sprayer. The dirt that came off of them was unbelievable. I set them on their side to drain so that no water would stand in the crown to rot them. I went to bed with a heavy heart, sure that they were all going to die, or be spotted so badly that I would have to throw them away. Surprise is a mild word for what 1 felt the next morning when I saw that not only had they all survived, but the leaves were beautiful, glossy green, and no longer limp and wilted looking from carrying a heavy load of dirt. I could almost hear them breathing sighs of relief. From that day until now, I continue to bathe my plants at least 4 times a year. I even use a soap and water spray on my hoyas before rinsing them with clear, warm water, to kill insects and remove the honeydew that builds up on hoya leaves from aphids and mealy bugs. A big bonus, is that plants that are not all clogged up with dirt and dust, receive more light on their leaf surface, and so bloom much better. Question: Our weather here in Arizona is very hot and dry in the summer. Everyone here has air conditioners, but I’ve been told they are very bad for plants. All of my neighbors grow cactus...! want to grow hoyas! Will they grow in this hot dry atmosphere without air conditioning, or, is there an alternative method I can use for cooling? D.M. Answer: Since you didn’t say, I will assume that you want to grow hoyas inside your home. As a rule, homes that run air conditioners usually have the drapes pulled also to keep out excessive heat. I don’t believe the air conditioning would hurt the plants as long as it wasn’t blowing directly on them. I’ve certainly known a lot of people who run air conditioners that grow other types of plants. You might have a problem with dry air, as air conditioners do a notorious job of pulling humidity out of the air. If you keep your drapes closed during the day, your hoyas might never get enough light to grow into a healthy plant, and I doubt that you would ever see a bloom (In spite of what you may have heard, hoyas need lots of light!). An alternative that I would suggest, is a swamp cooler. They’re not very pretty! they cool by drawing the outside air through a heavy seltzer pad that is kept filled by water continually dripping through the padding. They put humidity into your growing area instead of pulling it out. Actually they are very efficient and work great in a green house or sun porch. I happen to have one in my green house and can raise the humidity by 30% in just a matter of a few minutes. Another alternative... keep the air conditioner! but grow the miniature or small growing hoyas, and grow them under lights. Many people still don’t know that there are several dozen hoya species that are small enough to stay in a 4 or 5 inch pot forever. Some have flowers that are quite large for the small sized plants, and most of the small flowered species have beautiful flowers, and a wonderful 6 fragrance. You can keep your humidity at a comfortable level by misting your plants a few times a day, or set them on a tray of coarse gravel with a little water in it. Make sure your plants are setting on top of the gravel, and not down in the water. Question: I’ve always used plastic pots, but we just bought a house that also has a fully equipped green house.. .my dream of a lifetime! There is a potting shed attached that is full of old clay pots in every size imaginable. I feel like I’ve just discovered a buried treasure, and I don’t want to throw them away, but they’re so dirty, that I’m afraid to use them. Is it safe to use old pots? S.J. Answer: You have found a treasure! By all means, use them! One of the most valuable qualities a clay pot has, is that not only can they be scrubbed reasonable clean, even the very large ones can be sterilized, three or four at a time.. .in your oven!!!. Question: Will systemic insecticides harm Hoyas, and has anyone tried them to find out if they really eradicate pests? M.J.A. Answer: Systemic insecticides contain very powerful chemicals. They are designed to poison the entire plant, and any chewing or sucking insect that feeds upon the plant. I’m not aware of any of the widely available brands that will harm Hoyas when used as directed. However there are brands that can only be purchased through chemical companies, and only with special permits that allow individuals to use controlled substances. The only one of these that I’m familiar with is Oxymyl, a granular substance that is added in very small amounts to each potted plant. I have used this off and on for about five years with no damage whatsoever to my Hoyas. I have also used Cygon, (available in most garden centers) a liquid concentrate that can either be sprayed or used as a drench or dip for your plants. Both of these systemics work great! If you’re looking for something that will wipe out every bug in the neighborhood, none that I know of will eradicate pests completely, and forever. What you get is a certain amount of control for a short amount of time.. .usually 5 weeks to as long as 5 months, depending on which brand you choose. Question: I grow my Hoyas in a basement under lights. I thought I had enough ventilation, but last winter I had an outbreak of fungus, sooty mold and a bad bacterial infection. I lost over half of my Hoyas. The few that I managed to save have been outside all summer. They are growing well and look good, but cold weather is just around the corner and I will have to bring them back inside. Can you suggest something (ANYTHING) that will help to solve this problem? M.V. Answer: Fungus and molds are both in the same plant family. They thrive in a cold wet atmosphere, that has little or no air movement. They multiply by producing spore sacks that literaly explode when ripe. Everything within reach becomes a potential landing field, where they can spread and grow. This includes benches, walls, floors, window sills, even glass. Most of us think all that is required is to get rid of the mold on the plants. That’s just the "tip of the iceberg". Fungus and mold spores can remain dormant for years until the right conditions exist, then break into a full blown epidemic. If we’re going to "get rid of it" and "stay rid of it", we have some heavy duty cleaning to do. Chlorine bleach, (1/2 cup in two gallons of water) is probably the best all-around disinfectant. Sponge mops work wonderful on walls, windows and floors. Since your growing area is a basement, the walls and floors can probably stand being really soaked, so spread lots of this chlorine cleaning solution around and let it set for an hour or so before sponging it up. If you have windows in your basement, wipe the glass and the sills with this solution. Keep the windows and doors open for a day or two and run a fan in the area if possible. When you’re sure the area is "dry as a bone", buy an aerosol can of Lysol disinfectant, and spray everything in the room.. .Light fixtures, under the benches, ceiling, and around the windows. You have probably killed all the fungus spores in the room.. .now, in order to keep them dead, let’s get rid of the spores that are still lurking in your potting soil. They have been there all along. ..the moving air outside kept them at bay, but they will begin to grow and multiply again as soon as conditions are favorable. I like Benlate, but there has been evidence of Benlate causing deformities in some plants, so it would be wise to ask for suggestions of what to use as a drench for mold and fungus spores at your local garden center or county extension office. Whatever you decide to use, drench your soil thoroughly, and spray the foliage. Make sure the foliage is dry before bringing them in. Keep a couple of small fans going in your plant area, and open a window or door slightly on nice days. Keep a can of Lysol disinfectant handy, and spray into the center of the room... towards the ceiling, often!. 7 Other Asclepias Frerea indica, Dalzell Photographed & sponsored by John Scoville This striking plant belongs to a monotypic genus: Frerea indica, Dalzell being the only species. It differs from Caralluma only in the remarkable feature that its stems bear true leaves. The corona and other details of the floral structure present nothing that cannot be covered by Caralluma. N.A. Dalzell, Superintendent of the Botanical Gardens in Bombay, India discovered this unusual plant while touring a hill-fort in the neighborhood of Poona, February, 1864. A summarized description, translated from Dalzell ’s Latin follows. Plant: a rock-loving cespitose (growing in tufts or patches) low branching herb, with whitish smooth stems and oblong fleshy shortly petiolate leaves; Flowers: solitary, extra-axillar (flat except for a central depression of the corolla to contain the corona; Pedicel: very short; Corolla: glabrous, rotate; lobes broadly triangular, ciliate with a few flattened hairs; sinuses between the lobes small and acute; Outer corona: lobes very short, broad, sinuate-truncate; Inner corona: lobes strap-shaped, incumbent over the anthers, truncate at the apex; The leaves are about an inch long, succulent and cluster around the upper half of the stems. The stems are 4 to 5 inches high and under one-half inch thick. Numerous flowers grow near the apex of the branches and appear to be about one and one-half inches in diameter. Dalzell named the plant after Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frereforthe encouragement and promotion of scientific researches in India. Bartle Frere (1815-1884) began his career in India as assistant collector at Poona, 1835, was knighted for his services during the mutiny, 1 857, was Governor of Bombay, 1862-1867, and in 1877 was appointed Governor of Cape Colony to succeed Sir Henry Barkly, the great Stapelia collector. Details extracted from "The Stapelieae" by Alain White and Boyd L. Sloane, Abbey San Encino Press, 1937 8 Meet The Professionals T aking my letter of introduction from Professor Juan Pancho to the National Museum Building In Manila, my student escorts and I were gra- ciously received by Dr. Domingo Madulid, director of the National Herbarium. In his spacious office, over a delicious cup of coffee, we dis- cussed many aspects of Hoya growing, collecting, and the problems we face with identification. As we chatted, my eyes wandered to the many interesting pictures that hung on the walls. Among them were portraits of A.D.E. Elmer and Elmer D. Merrill, both pioneers in collecting and describing the flora of the Philippines, and in our circle of interest, especially famous for their work in the Hoya genus. Dr. Madulid has followed in the footsteps of these famous Botanists, and continues to increase and expand his knowledge of the native plants of the Philippines. I would like to extend a most sincere "thank You" to Dr. Madulid for providing me with complete access to the herbarium sheets of the Philippine Hoya species, and the work space in which to study. He has been continually helpful, always available for advice and generous in sharing his knowledge. A much reduced resume of his vast botanical contributions follows: Publications: I. Books 1. Madulid, D.A. A pictorial Cyclopaedia of Philippine Ornamental Plants. Bookmark Inc., Manila (In Press). 2. Madulid, D.A. A dictionary of Philippine Plant Names, 2 Vols. University of San Carlos, Cebu City. 1990 (In Press). 3. Madulid, D.A. Conservation and Utilization of Palms in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines (as author for the Philippines) WWF-IUCN. II. Articles: Has written numerous scientific papers, plus over 60 articles on various botanical subjects. III. Expeditions: Has conducted 37 expeditions of the Philippine Islands for the purpose of Botanical exploration, general plant collecting, and the collecting of medicinal plants for medical research. The list of Dr. Madulid’s accomplishments are staggering, and much too extensive to list here. The reason for this brief "thumb-nail" sketch, is to call attention to the "Flora of the Philippines Project", an on-going 10 year project that Dr. Madulid and other botanical scientists are working on. This project is being sponsored by US-National Science Foundation grant. We hope to bring you updates on this project as data is collected. There will be quite an extensive section devoted to Hoyas that should be of interest to us all. by Dale Kloppenburg Dr. Domingo A. Madulid 9 ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT OF THE FLORA OF THE PHILIPPINES PROJECT (October 1990 - September 1992) Domingo A. Madulid Botany Division National Museum With funding from the National Science Foundation and the US Agency for International Development, The Flora of the Philippines Project has been launched under the cooperation of the Philippine National Museum and Bishop Museum. The Philippine Plant Inventory Project, (PPIP) the first component of the Flora of the Philippines Project, commenced its activities in October 1990. Three field teams, each composed of a leader and two staff members, were formed. An administrative assistant and a clerk/typist was initially recruited. A computer data programmer/encoder and a communications assistant were later added to the administrative staff. The National Museum provided space for the PPIP activities. An administrative office within the Botany Division room was constructed. Another space at the first floor was renovated to accommodate Dr. Benjamin Stone’s and the fieldmen’s rooms. The drying room was also expanded which now houses six dryers. A space within this room is allocated for the processing of these specimens. Another processing or storage space adjacent to the herbarium has been acquired recently. Equipment purchased to boost the administrative operations of the project are a photocopier, a Fax machine, a computer and a printer. Two vehicles have also been purchased for the field expeditions. So far, 30 field excursions have been conducted covering about 38 localities throughout the Philippines. 19 of these are within Luzon, Mindoro, and Romblon, 4 in Palawan, 7 in Visayas, and 8 in Mindanao. Different vegetation types like lowland evergreen rainforests, montane forests, forests over ultrabasic and limestone soils, mangroves, and marshlands, have been sampled. A total of 8977 PPIP numbers have been collected with about 10 duplicates each. All of these are temporarily placed in boxes and stored at the Philippine National Herbarium (PNH) prior to sorting and mailing to Smithsonian Institution later this year. Six more localities are to be visited for the rest of the year (i.e. October 1992 - December 1992) and a total of 1 8 more for 1 993. While at the PNH, the fieldmen undertake other activities, such as, curation of PPIP and PNH specimens, maintenance of the Patio Botanico, and maintenance of the PPIP vehicles. Field notes are also encoded on Labels 3 program and are now being printed at the Bishop Museum. Three issues of the FPP newsletter which feature the activities of the PPIP and the Collections Management Project (CMP) have been distributed to major herbaria and other botanical institutions throughout the country. PPIP pamphlets on current taxonomic studies will soon be published and distributed. Three initial issues on the Philippine Pandanus, Figs, and Ardisia, all written by Dr. Benjamin Stone, are currently being edited. The Collections Management Project, the second component of the Flora of the Philippines project, commenced in October 1 992, a year after the PPI P was launched. With a collection manager and two technicians, the CMP is tasked to curate about 30,000 back-log specimens at the PNH. So far, they have mounted 2,321 specimens, strapped 7,406 specimens, identified 1,406 specimens, prepared and copied 2,548 field labels, entered in the Dbas field notes of 1,527 specimens, accessions 944 specimens, packed 8,769 specimens, froze 73,323 specimens, and maintained (cleaned, re-mounted, re-strapped, etc.) 40,177 specimens. under the project, the space at the PNH has been expanded with the construction of a mezzanine floor. An air conditioning system was installed and this has effectively kept the PNH dust-free and maintained humidity to a minimum. A chest freezer was acquired for specimen curation purposes. Three computers and one laser printer were purchased and all of these are used for PNH and PPIP data storage and processing. 10 H. densifolia, Turcz. There has been a question for many years, as to whether H. densifolia from Java, and H. cumingiana from the Philippines are the same species. Incidentally, the name is densifolia not densiflora as so many people insist on calling it. It is the foliage (folia) that is dense, not the flowers. While both plants have the same upright, shrub type growth, the leaves of densifolia are longer, thinner, and at certain stages, have quite distinct veins, while cumingiana has very thick, almost round, extremely close-set leaves, and any veins are almost invisible. H. cumingiana requires the brightest light possible, even some direct sun to keep it from getting thin and straggly looking. H. densifolia on the other hand, can get along very nicely with just the bright light. This summer, I finally had a chance to see them both in bloom at the same time. Any difference that I could detect with the naked eye was minimal. The flowers of H. densifolia seem a brighter yellow, the corona is deep carmine red, while the corona of H. cumingiana is a rather muddy greenish pink. Since color isn’t regarded as a serious taxonomic characteristic, I think we can rule out the color difference. Close examination under a microscope revealed practically identical reproductive parts. Pickled flowers have been sent to a qualified taxonomist, and we hope to have an answer soon. Are they twins? I believe they are. ..but, maybe not identical twins!. Ann Wayman Photo sponsored by: San Diego Hoya Group 11 An interview with Ruurd Van Donkelaar Institute for Protection and Propagation of Succulent Plants (IPPS) Postbus 15 Werkendam, The Netherlands Huibert and Ruurd Van Donkelaar, father and son, are owners of the family nursery, flowershop and landscaping business and both have a keen interest in plants - Huibert, cactus and succulents, Ruurd, hoyas/dischidias and plants in general. Ruurd’s mother, and his wife Dejke make up the other part of the family and they too are interested in plants - general nursery stock, water plants, etc. The nursery is located in a picturesque village on the Rijn (Rhine) River, about 25 miles S.E. of Rotterdam. This interview is a result of talks with Ruurd during my last visit in June of this year (1992). Any reference to hoyas includes dischidias also. Question: How many years have you been collecting hoyas? Ruurd: About 20 years. Question: What interests you the most about hoyas? Ruurd: My interest lies mostly on the scientific side, but I also just like them. Question: What got you started in hoyas? Ruurd: Many years ago, I got 10 cuttings from the University of Utrecht. It turned out that most of the names were wrong, but I found the plants very interesting. Question: Are hoyas a good business proposition in your country? Ruurd: Not really, for they amount to only about 5% of our income. Question: About how many species would you say you have. Ruurd: Probably 100 to 140 actual species, and many more un-named or un-classified. Question: Where have your plants come from? Ruurd: Botanical gardens, nurseries, individuals, and 2 collecting trips - Western Java, and Sumatra. Question: What is your connection with the University of Leiden? Ruurd: I am an associate in the herbarium working on that portion of the Flora Malesiana that deals with Ruurd Van Donkelaar Photo by Ted Green the hoyas. I spend about half a day each week there with 2 helpers. Our living collections, as well as our files are duplicates as we share all newly collected material, and Leiden now uses our IPPS numbers for their living collections. Question: Tell us about your growing area; how big is it, and what all do you grow? Ruurd: Of the approximately 20’x 100’ tropical greenhouse, about 3/4 is devoted to hoyas, the other 1/4 is shared by various other tropical plants. This house, as well as the other 6 in the nursery, is heated with gas-fired hot water and the temperature varies between 15C to 40C (59 to 104 Fahrenheit). The lighting is natural sunlight. The city water is hard. Watering is done mostly with an automatic, spaghetti system. Question: What do you use as a potting material? Ruurd: I start my cuttings in sponge rock with bottom heat. When they are well rooted, I pot them into either a rough peat/perlite mix or coconut fiber/peat with limestone, osmocote and organic fertilizer or, with the dischidias, on hanging, tree fern poles. Other than 12 the fertilizer that I mix in with the potting soil, I seldom give them any other plant food. Question: Do you ever have trouble with diseases or insects? Ruurd: Yes, we had a virtual epidemic of scale, mealy bug, green fly, thrip and nematodes. *A later correspondence from Ruurd, "I got it all under control now. The Ladybirds are doing their job very well! Also no nematodes located anymore last month". Questions: What pesticides are you using? Ruurd: We are using soft soap and a new program of biological controls - Ladybird beetles, 2 types of wasps, a fungus and a mosquito. These are all natural predators of the harmful insects that attack and destroy our plants. Also, we make new top cuttings, and destroy the bases of the old plants to get rid of nematodes. Interviewers comments: Ruurd Van Donkelaar is a natural plantsman with a knack for rooting and growing newly introduced cuttings. His plants grow and flower very well so he is doing something right. He is a 33 year old workaholic - the business during the day and then late into the night studying, corresponding and turning out newsletters and articles. In his scientific work, he is an absolute stickler for details and an excellent record keeper. I am envious of his files of descriptions, pictures and articles - all in beautiful condition and easy to reach. He runs, doesn’t walk (seems to be genetic for his dad does the same thing). I noticed on this last trip that he has calmed down a lot since marrying Dejke. She is another "plant nut" and his live-in traveling companion. Quite a couple, and with a vegetarian dog thrown in! He does agree with me sometimes, he agrees that.. .a) The artificial sections of the hoyas are useless but groupings, Yes...b) Don’t rush to give new names to things.. .c) Field data (exactly where and when plant is found) is very important.. .d) You have to know many clones to know a species, and...e) We live too far apart. This interview was conducted on location and in person by: Ted Green Green Plant Research Kaaawa, Hawaii Write for my latest Asclepiad List or Orchid List. Always something new and expensive (I need the money to go collecting in Brunei and Sarawak this fall). GREEN: PLANT RESEARCH P O BOX 735. KAAAWA, HAWAII 96730. TELEPHONE (808) 237-8672 J 13 Rediscovery of H. loherii, Kloppenburg The Bronze Flowered Hoya As noted in the title, this new Hoya species is a “rediscovery" of a species originally discovered by A. Loher in 1915. It was published in "Fraterna" 3rd. quarter 1991 under "4 New Hoya Species from the Philippines", i had not seen this hoya on any other herbarium sheets, and assumed that it was most likely an extinct species. As it turns out, it is still alive and thriving in the forests of the Philippines. In 1989, 1990 and again in 1991, Dexter Heuschel in Manila sent cuttings of this species to me, each time labeled "Dischidia species". This past spring my largest plant # 890913 began to put on the type of bloom spurs that are typical for peduncles of the Hoya genus, so I was pretty sure it would turn out to be a hoya. I was full of anticipation, actually running to the greenhouse each morning to check on its progress. As we all know, anxiety brings on slow growth (a watched kettle never boils etc.) . It seemed that it would never get to the "open flower stage" and I held my breath as the buds continued to develop. It became obvious in the late bud stage, that this species was a Hoya in the Acanthostemma section due to the umbel type. In May, after what seemed like months, the small, red/bronze flowers finally opened. After considerable study, drawings, measurements, and my usual photo documentation using a very powerful microscope, I could tell that this was my old friend from the 1915 herbarium sheet. The way this all evolved has given me a new insight into my data collection. The comparison of measurements and photographs between herbarium material and live flowers has proven invaluable. I find this species to be a very distinctive and different Hoya, both in plant and flower. The leaves are long and shaped like a very thin canoe that has been turned inside out (longitudinally revolute or canalate). They are extremely glossy and waxy on the upper exposed surface. The paired leaves are held upright regardless of which way the stem grows, and out of bloom, this plant looks for all the world like a Dischidia. Overall the plant is quite compact and somewhat stiff and wiry but with flexible branches. The flowers are exquisite little jewels that literally glow. It is absolutely amazing that this species has remained hidden for so long, and I find it gratifying to be able to introduce another new miniature species, as the miniatures fit so nicely into most collections. I wish to publicly thank Dexter Heuschel once again, and express my gratitude for his tireless devotion to obtaining new clones and an occasional "new species" which all of us can eventually enjoy. For me personally, the opportunity to grow and study these plants as they are collected from the wild, is an invaluable aid in understanding the Philippine Hoya species. Article & photo by Dale Kloppenburg Photo sponsored by Dale Kloppenburg 14 BIRD TRACKS Robin # 2. .August 1992. .Lana Seely (Oregon) This has been a good year for hoyas, a little too hot for me though. I’ve had to double the shade cloth during the really hot weather. I’m sure glad I have it. I mist everything at night and keep a fan going all day. So far everything looks great. A Hoya that I grew from a cutting had been sitting doing nothing for a couple of years. I noticed it was a little loose in the pot, not firmly planted, so I unpotted it and scratched the underside at the node where the two leaves are growing, then repotted and top dressed the soil with cactus mix. In just a couple of days there was two inches of new growth. Looks like it may be trying to make up for lost time. Robin # 2.. September 1992.. Mary Jean Sargent (Oregon) In early August I went to Canada and visited Butchart Gardens. The beauty of the gardens is overwhelming, they must set out bedding plants by the hundreds of thousands. But here is the relevant part: Between the two restaurants is a glassed in conservatory filled with banks of flowering plants in brilliant display, .around three sides just at the top of the windows, are thick mats of Hoya carnosa, stems from these plants are as thick as my thumb. Bits of dry fallen flowers showed they had bloomed lately, and there were many more buds that would open within 2 or 3 weeks. I reached in an open window to touch them, and realized the buds were thick with aphids! bright yellow/orange ones with black legs. ..HA! Even Butchart Gardens has bugs on their Hoyas!!! Double HA! HA! Six or eight years ago I had some bright yellow/orange aphids with black legs, but got rid of them easily and hadn’t seen any more of this particular kind: until this summer when I found a few on a Hoya obovata. I wiped them off and haven’t seen any since. Has anyone else had experience with golden aphids with black legs?...l await your reports!!! (Editors Note): A few years ago, one of my customers called in a panic over what she thought were thrips on some of her Hoyas. I had never seen anything that looked like what she described, so asked if she could bring one of the plants over so I could examine them more closely. The bugs she described, turned out to be yellow aphids with black legs.. .black hairy legs!. I have a garden book showing photos of over 80 species of aphids. There are green, yellow, black, red, black & white spotted, orange, white fuzzy ones, yellow with black hairy legs, and even shocking pink ones. It seems that many of the different species take on the colors of the type of food they prefer. A.W. Robin # 3. .July 1992. .Dale Kloppenburg (California). .My greatest achievement for this year is getting H. darwinii to send up new growth. I am getting so many new things in this year, that it keeps me busy getting them all recorded on the computer. I just counted 90 for 1992 if I managed to get them all listed. I have had more bloom this year than ever before. Everyone I talk to, reports the same. My latest moment of excitement was the blooming of a new cutting from the Philippines. It has been sent 3 times as a Dischidia, but turned out to be Hoya loherii. I had thought that this and H. rizaliana were most likely extinct, so imagine my surprise when it bloomed. It is so rewarding to go through this process of first finding an unusual herbarium sheet, naming it and then finding the living species. It is very unusual and different. I had given a piece to Ted Green and Ann Wayman, in the hope that one of them could get it to bloom, but it decided to reward me instead. Its leaves are longitudinally rolled and waxy green, held upright. It is an acanthostemma that has the crown sitting up off the corolla on a long column. Now if H. rizaliana will show up among all the new cuttings I have received, I will be a very happy man!. Our new format is the result of one "helpful husband" who inadvertently deleted over half of our computer files, and is diligently rebuilding them. A.W. 15 "VICKI’S EXOTIC PLANTS" Vicki Graves owner (503) 826-6318 522 Vista Park Dr. Eagle Point, OR 97524 Episcia’s, Begonia’s And Hoya’s Wide Variety Big New Catalogue for 1992 $1.00 Licensed Retail Nursery U.S.A. Sales Only The Association for plant & flower people who grow in hobby greenhouses and windows! Quarterly Magazine Growing & Maintenance Help & Advice Hobby Greenhouse Association 8 Glen Terrace, Bedford, MA 01730-2048 Dues 512 USA, S14 Canada, SIS Overseas Sample magazine 53 THE HOYA CONNECTION lots of varieties U.S.A. Sales Only Send $1.00 for list Cindy Hay 3829 Brownsville Dr. Bellingham, WA 98226 Licensed Retail Sales SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS 16 We now have twelve complete volumes of pictures ready as follows. ($5.90 per set of ten prints or any two sets for $10.50 first class postage paid, overseas $15.50 per two sets. Volume 1 H. australis H. lacuuosa H. pubicalyx ‘Fresno Beauty’ H. multitlora H. serpens H. sp. tanna H. sp. Bangkok #4 H. obovata (Foliage) H. Globulosa (Foliage) H. meredithii (Foliage) Volume 2 H. ‘Mini Belle’ H. latifolia H. sp. Chiange Mai H. variegata H. com pacta H. obscura H. pubicalyx ‘Bright one’ H. bella H. shepherdii H. polystachya (Foliage Volume 3 H. cinnamomifolia H. gracilis H. pubicalyx (Dark Red Seedling) H. laurifolia (this is PNG 4) H. arnottiana H. kenejiana H. kerrii (Fuzzy leaf) H. acuta (Green Form) H. pachyclada H. obovata Volume 4 H. fuscomarginata H. species # F-454 (long skinny leaf) H. polystachya H. acuta (lemon scented) H. species # CI-1244 H. species # F-484 H. species USDA # 354246 H. pubicalyx Cv. Red Buttons H. species (New Guinea Gold) H. nicholsoniae IML 37 (Golden Yellow, pure white corona) Volume 5 H. citrina H. nicholsoniae # 39 H. cumingiana H. neo ebudica H. padangensis H. camphorifolia H. inconspicua H. caudata var. crassifolia H. Spec. PNG-1 H. erythrina Volume 6 H. fraterna H. coronaria Form 1 H. limoniaca H. bilobata H. Spec. PNG-6 H. tsangi H. diptera H. acuta (bronze) H. fungii H. diversifolia-B Volume 7 H. carnosa cv. "Krinkle 8" H. Sp. Saba Malaysia H.Sp.WMZ H. polyneura H. Sp. WMZ (Back of flower & calyx) H. nummularioides (formerly pubera) H. acuta Penang H. plicata H. carnosa cv. "Dapple Gray" H. keysii Volume 8 H. purpureo fusca (The real one) H. odorata H. pottsii H. Sp. IML 33 H. picta H. pseudo littoralis H. nicholsoniae (from Logee’s) H. micrantha H. vitiensis H. curtisii (foliage) Volume 9 H. sp. USDA # 354236 (H. calycina) H. merrilli H. affinis H. darwinii H. pubicalyx ‘Chimera’ H. sp. ‘Gold Star’ H. sp. # BSI-1 H. archboldiana (Red Form) H. finlaysonii H. naumanii Volume 10 H. pubicalyx ‘Silver Pink’ H. rupicola H. vittelina H. sp. IML # 234 H. meliflua H. engleriana H. megalaster H. archboldiana (Pink Form) H. sp. Bangkok Red H. sp. cebu New Offering Volume 11 & 12 H. mitrata H. sp. DAV-817 H. dimorpha H. multiflora H. sp. Sabah, Malaysia #IML 557 H. vitellina H. poolei H. pallida H. sp. Kuching, Borneo # IML 232 H. chlorantha var. tutuilensis H. eitapensis H. kentiana H. sussuella (ariadna) H. erythrostemma H. incrassata H. chuniana H. diptera (from Fiji) H. curtisii/pruinosa H. cominsii H. sp. New Guinea White Pictures International Hoya Association P.O.Box 5130 Central Point, OR. 97502 17 FRATERNA Official Bulletin for "International Hoya Association" 4th. Quarter 1992 ISSN 10055-4564 LIBRARY FEB 1 6 1S93 NEW Y*.;,,* BOTANICAL izKHUth H. cinnamomifolia Hooker INTERNATIONAL HOYA ASSOCIATION (Formerly Hoya Society-West Coast) P.O. Box 5130 Central Point, OR 97502 (503) 664-6808 A Non-Profit Organization Bulletin published quarterly. 1993 rates for a 1 year membership, which includes our quarterly publication are $14.00 per year, $15.00 per year Canada & Mexico, Overseas $17.00. All overseas mail is sent by airmail. Officers And Editors President Dale Kloppenburg Vice President John Scoville Secretary/T reasurer Ann Wayman Editor Ann Wayman Board Of Directors William J. Wayman Paula Lake Lina Paul Rudy Bachmann Jerry Williams Harriett Schapiro Chuck Everson (Chairman) Editorial Board Mary B. Welch Advertising We have advertising available at the following rates: Full page camera ready ad $45.00 per issue Half page camera ready ad $30.00 per issue Quarter page camera ready ad $20.00 per issue 1 /8th page camera ready ad $1 5.00 per issue You may also send us your handwritten or typed ad on a plain sheet of paper and one of your business cards and we will lay out your ad for you. There will be a one time set-up fee on this extra service of $25.00 to be added to our research fund. A copy of your ad will be sent to you for proofing before final printing in our newsletter. The deadline for all advertising is: February 15 for the March issue May 15 for the June issue August 15 for the September issue November 1 5 for the December issue We also accept advertising on a per year basis. You may deduct 10% for the same ad running consecutively in four issues. Payment in advance, Please!. Back Issues Honorary Board Members Representing Thailand: Representing Sweden: Representing Texas: Representing Calif: Representing Hawaii: Chanin Thorut Eva Karen Wiberg Loyce Andrews Dr. Seymour Linden Ted Green It’s A Fact SACRED HEART Ayers Rock, close to the geographical center of Australia, is a sacred place to the country’s Aborigines. The native Pitjandjara people believe that each of its features represents an important person or event in their history, and some of the rock’s caves contain Aborigine paintings of epic journeys made by distant ancestors. One pothole, they believe, is the spot where a spear fell during a battle between rival clans of Aborigines: and one cave entrance is seen as the mouth of a woman weeping for her lost son. In another cave the Pitjandjara tribe carried out manhood and fertility rites. The rock, 1,143 feet tall and 5.5 miles around, sits alone on a desert plain, the remnant of a vast sandstone formation that once covered the entire region. It changes color dramatically at sunset, glowing deep red just before the sun drops below the horizon, a spectacle that draws more than 50,000 visitors a year. Ayers Rock is not the world’s largest monolith. It is surpassed by Mount Augustus in Western Australia, which is about twice as big. | THE SCATTERING SEED The first plants to colonize the land about 420 million years ago were flowerless mosses, horsetails, and ferns. They reproduced by throwing out spores.. .minute organisms that carried the genetic blueprint for the plant. Although spores can germinate centuries after they have been cast off, their survival rate is low because they carry no food store. Ferns began bearing seeds about 345 million years ago. Unlike a spore, a seed has a built in food store, making its survival chances greater. The most primitive seed-bearing plants still found on earth are the cycads, plants that resemble palm trees. They have existed for some 160 million years. Reprinted from: Reader’s Digest Book Of Facts The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. Pleasantville, New York We now have the thirteen original issues of the Hoya Society -West Coast newsletter bound as one publication. The price of this bound text is $25.00 U.S. and $55.00 shipped airmail overseas. Due to the extra pages and pictures in our new publication "Fraterna", we must, out of necessity, increase our prices for back issues of "Fraterna" to $4.00 per issue, $6.00 per issue shipped airmail overseas. 1 The 10th meeting of the San Diego Hoya Group on September 20, 1 992 was a very special event. Not only was the International Hoya Association’s Board of Directors having their annual Board Meeting the day before at Rainbow Gardens, but all those in at- tendance were staying over for the next day’s Hoya Group meeting-as their guests of honor! Rainbow Gardens Nursery and Bookshop were proud to hold this "double event", and the weather turned out per- fect! To celebrate the occasion, our refreshment Chairperson selected an old fashioned “hot dog and hamburger barbecue" as the food event of the meeting. Indescribable goodies were also brought by the 74 people in attendance (salads of all types, chips and dips, and a dozen choices of homemade desserts)! Did I just say that 74 people attended? This is a definite record. And to think that this group only started holding regular meetings since March of 1 990. If we get any bigger, we’re going to have to call ourselves a Society and finally get organized-dues, officers, the works! I hope not, because one of the great things about the San Diego Hoya Group is that a lot of people get together every ninety days and talk about Hoyas over a little food and drink. But back to the meeting: The Board Members were asked to sit up front at a large table-along with our new Board Member: Jerry Williams (Dr. Harriette Schapiro was absent at this meeting-our other new Board Member. Also, our new Honorary Board Member-Ted Green, of Hawaii-was present and sat with the regular Board Members). Our President, Dale Kloppenburg explained some of the goings on at the annual Board Meeting, what the future holds for the I.H.A., and an informal question and answer session where all present could ask questions, receive answers, and state opinions to the steering committee. It was nice to hear and honor the questions from the audience, which is composed of such a diversified conglomerate of people that are Hoya enthusiasts. The roots consist of many young people that have a desire to learn and become involved. Lina Paul mentioned our next meeting-the Christmas Dinner/Meeting-on December 20, 1992, at King’s Inn, San Diego, California. And on into 1993, our March 28th meeting at Quail Gardens, Encinitas, California. This meeting will feature our first ever plant auction to allow a special fund be set up for subsidizing out-of-area guest speakers at future 2 SDHG meetings. This should prove to be a lot of fun, along with the introduction of our first "Food Theme Meeting" of the year — MEXICAN FOOD ! ! Rounding out the rest of the year’s meetings will be June 27th at Rainbow Gardens (guest speaker to be announced later)--food theme: ITALIAN I And again at Rainbow Gardens on September 26th (possibly a round table discussion)--food theme: GERMAN OKTOBERFEST, complete with German beer, knackwurst, sauerkraut, German outfits by those so inclined--THE WORKS ! We’re going to have fun in 1993-PLEASE JOIN US. Dieter Paul was next, giving our treasurer’s report, with a rosy picture financially. Our new HOYA membership badges looked great on everyone, so now there’s no excuse not knowing who we’re talking to. Jim Wayman was up next, and had the pleasure of announcing our ever-expanding membership rolls in I.H.A. (up 40% from last year!). The reason, someone asks of Jim? Good articles, GREAT color pictures, excellent advice on how to grow Hoyas, goings on in the Hoya world--just about everything one needs to know. The word is out... the Fraterna is the bulletin to get. Jim was then followed by Ann Wayman, who gave us a short description of the enhancements of our bulletin, and why she thought it appealed to such a wide diversity of people in all walks of life. These two people have done so much for the I.H.A. and the local audience gave them a resounding hand of applause. Your scribe followed with Fraterna inputs and the basically rosy future and introduced Ted Green who presented his participation in future articles for Fraterna. Ted is "hoya people" and all of us look forward to his oncoming submittals. In a future endeavor perhaps we can ask Ted how he grows Hoyas in Hawaii, directly in the sunlight, and do it so well. Lina Paul, our newly announced Slide Librarian was introduced and it seems we have over 100 35-mm slides for viewing at this time, and should be available soon for anyone doing a presentation or for just informal member viewing. Like other things, this will be followed by still more information-when available, how to get, etc. And did everyone benefit from the raffle? Did they ever! Over 100 Hoyas, both rooted in pots, and cuttings, were present and everyone took home one or two prizes. What a pleasant way to go home from this friendly meeting-Hoya cuttings, a full tummy, and those conversations from all those present. You must get out here and catch this group in action! John Scoville President’s Message We are in the midst of winter here in California as well as many other parts of the world. Fortunately our winters are very mild compared to other parts of the country, but I’m still very happy when spring and summer arrives. Ann Wayman reports that we are getting new members daily as a result of "word of mouth" advertising. Our adopt-a-member program has also succeeded in bringing in 1 1 new members in the past six weeks... We have sold over 100 picture sets for Christmas gifts, and we have sold all but five of the T-shirts that we had left.. .remaining sizes are, 4 mediums, 1 large. I wish to THANK Pat Nichols of Aurora Colorado who has donated enough paper to print an entire year of Fraterna bulletins, including cover stock. In 1993 we will be making an attempt to trace all the known Hoya dealers, their addresses and other pertinent information. I am asking all of our members to jot down name, phone numbers, catalogue prices and any other data that would be helpful in bringing these elusive Hoya dealers in touch with many new customers that want to buy Hoyas. Dealers.. .this is a free service to you, we want you in our directory! Please send your information to I.H.A. member: Chrisilla Rezai, 914 S. Harbor View, San Pedro, Calif. 90732 Dale Kloppenburg President P.S. Everything looks very good for the future of I.H.A. 3 Carol Causey Photo by Chuck Everson Sponsored by Rainbow Gardens Nursery & Book Shop 1444 E. Taylor St. Vista, California 92084 Carol Causey, Southern California member, is shown here in front of her Hoya display that she puts in at three or four Southern California cactus and epiphyllum shows each year— including the National Cactus and Succulent Society of America show. Besides the display of Hoyas, Carol also has a photo album that she displays of all of her Hoya plants and flowers. Next to her photo album, she has a good supply of membership applications for the International Hoya Association, which she happily espouses to all to become a member. Carol first got interested in Hoyas in the early 1970’s when she went to a local nursery in her home town and found a Hoya carnosa in bloom. She thought it was so pretty, that she bought it, and started visiting every nursery in the area for more--but could find none. However, over the last twenty years, she has managed to pick up 40 + different specimens, and says that she has "just about enough" to handle. Her favorite Hoyas are: H. cinnamomifolia, H. serpens, and the round leaf "Sweetheart" types: H. kerrii and H. obovata. Carol is drawn to Hoyas with unique and different leaf formations, and to "super knockout" flowers! Plants of all types are a big part of Carol’s life. She is the newsletter editor of the South Coast Cactus Club, and is a member of the Long Beach & Metropolitan Cactus Club, the South Bay Epiphyllum Society and the Epiphyllum Society of America. Of her Hoya affiliations, she proudly states she’s a member of the San Diego Hoya Group and of course the International Hoya Association. Asked what suggestions she might have to newcomers, Carol states: "be careful what you buy, especially if you’re not familiar with the growth and environmental requirements. Get involved with a reputable Hoya nursery that can help you start your collection. Some plants are sensitive to heat or cold, and you must know these things before you start or you’ll wind up losing money before you’ve even started!" Our sincere thanks to member Carol Causey for being such a good supporter for the San Diego Hoya Group, the I.H.A., and for the exciting hobby of growing Hoyas. She is a tireless worker, asking nothing in return but the joy of sharing, growing and loving Hoyas. 4 g Meet the Professionals Dr. Benjamin C. Stone Dr. Benjamin Stone modestly describes himself as a "long time professional tropical taxonomist". In the process of doing some research on Dr. Stone’s background, we have discovered a few relevant facts that we thought might be interesting to our readers: Dr. Stone was born in Shanghai, graduated from Sweetwater High School in San Diego, California in 1950. He received his B.A. at Pomona College in 1 954, was Graduate Assistant at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri until 1 955, Graduate Assistant at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu until 1960, and received his Ph.D. in Botany at the University of Hawaii in 1960. Dr. Stone was a professor of Biology at the University of Guam, 1961 to 1964, He was a former reader in Botany of the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 1965 to 1984. also a former Chairman of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1984 to 1990, and from 1990 to the present.. .Senior Research Botanist and Project Principle Investigator, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii. This is a very brief list of Dr. Stones accomplishments. He is presently occupied as the principal investigator of the Philippine Plant Inventory Project, in collaboration with Dr. Domingo Madulid and other Philippine Botanists. The Philippine Plant Project is to be a ten year project yielding a new 6-volume edition being a complete modern Flora of the Philippines sponsored by the Bishop Museum, Philippine National Museum, National Science Foundation (USA) and the MacArthur Foundation. This is a project dear to our hearts, as the Philippines are the natural habitat of many of our most beautiful Hoyas. Dr. Stone says he has many uncompleted goals. Among them is the desire to preserve wilderness in the world; to bring botanical education to more people; to find the time to write up a monograph of his favorite plants.. .the Pandanaceae, and to restore support and recognition to botanic gardens and plant taxonomists who are getting fewer just when we need them most, especially in tropical countries. By Ann Wayman 5 Other Asclepiads Dischidiopsis parasitica (Blanco) Merrill This species has the long waxy thick narrowly channeled leaves similarto H. shephardii or H. angustifolia. The plant is entirely glabrous including the red tubular bulbous flowers which are borne in groups nearthe leaf axiles or on the terminal end of branchlets. It is a rugged and easily grown plant that can take a lot of abuse, and is usually a regular bloomer. The species comes to us from the Philippines. I have, however, seen an "exact" duplicate of this species while collecting with Geoff Dennis on Mt. Austin in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. The plant I collected there was confiscated by the USDA because of a black fungus. When I say "exact" I mean in appearance, even down to the same form and color of the flowers. I did not , however, have the opportunity to examine it underthe microscope todetermine if the internal flower parts were the same as those of the Philippine Dischidiopsis parasitica. So far, I have not been able to get another specimen from this location. The difference between the Genus Dischidia, which many of you are familiar with and the G enus Dischidiopsis is related to the differences in the structure of the coronal lobes. Of course the coronal lobes are hidden inside the red tubular flower, and so are not visible except on internal examination. For all intents and purposes they look like many Dischidia species. The outer coronal lobes of the Dischidia are modified into curved up hyaline structures reminiscent of a ships anchor. The outer lobe in Dischidiopsis is not modified in this manner. Instead this portion of the lobe is thickened and broadened and reminds me of our square pointed shovels, a little drawn in atthe upper end of the blade. In Perkins’s Fragmenta Florae Philippines (1904), Dr. Schlechter described this new species as Dischidiopsis Philippinensis Schltr. as follows: Parasitica, flexuosa, ramosa; ramis carnosulis teretibus glabris, plus minusve laxe foliatis; foliis patentibus patulisve obovato-oblongis breviter acuminatis, basi in petiolum brevem angustatis, carnosis, utrinque glabris, petiolo incluso 4-6 cm. longis, medio fere 1.5-3 cm. latis; inflorescentia extraaxillari, subsessili vel breviter pendunculata, congestia pluriflora, petiolo fere aequilonga vel breviore; floribus minutis, breviter pedunculatis, pedicello glabro; calycis segmentis ovato-oblongis ovatisve obtusis, glabris; corolla urceolari dimidio inferiore inflata extus glabra, 0.4 cm. longa, lobis minutis erectis ovato-lanceolatis, subacutis, intus carnoso-incrassatis, tubo intus pilis erectis longis ornato, parte inflata glabra, apice intus squamis 5 semi-orbicularibus glabris donato; antheris rhomboideis, marginibus cartlagineis basin versus ampliatis, appendice hyalina anguste oblonga acuta; polliniis compressis anguste oblongis, basin versus paulo angustatis erectis, translatoribus crassis perbrevibus, retinaculo anguste oblongo obtuso, polliniis duplo minore.. Lubang Isl. ( Merrill #972; in flower in April 1903). Translated: Parasitic, flexible, branched, branches fleshy, round glabrous, plus or minus, loosely leaved; leaves outspread or spreading ovate- oblong briefly acuminate, with the short petiole narrow toward the base, fleshy, with both surfaces glabrous, petiole overall 4-6 cm. long, in the middle nearly 1.5-3 cm. wide; with the inflorescence outside the axil, almost sessile or briefly pedunculate, many flowers crowded together, petioles nearly equally long or shorter, with the flowers minute, briefly pedicellate, peduncles glabrous; segments of the calyx ovate-oblong to ovate obtuse, glabrous; corolla urceolate below the middle outside inflated, glabrous, 0.4 cm. long, with inside adorned with long erect hairs, and the inflated part glabrous, with the apex on the inside with 5 semi- circular glabrous scales, with the anthers rhomboid, the 6 margins thickened toward the enlarged base, appendix hyaline narrowly oblong acute; pollinia compressed narrowly oblong, toward the base a little narrowly erect, translators shortly oblong obtuse, with the pollinia 2 times smaller. The type specimen came from the Island of Lubang, Batangas Province. This is a smaller island off to the South West from Manila bay; North West from the larger island of Mindoro, Philippines. Dr. Merrill in the Philippine Science Publication #18, vol. 3 in 1923 published this species as Dischidiopsis parasitica (Blanco) Merrill. In 1837 it had been named Marsdinia parasitica by Blanco. Merrill placed into synonymy Schlechter’s Dischidiopsis philippinensis printed above. Also the species named Concophyphyllum me rrillii Schlechter was included. Dr. Merrill quotes locations for this species as Luzon (Rizal, Bataan, Laguna), Lubang. Herbarium sheets: Merrill #972, 7441, 3809, sp. Blancoanae #393, Phil. PL, Elmer #18455, B.S #15170 Reillo, Epiphytic in the thickets and forests at low altitudes, endemic. Our photograph amply shows the clean desirable traits of this easily grown and flowered species. Dale Kloppenburg Dischidiopsis parasitica Photo sponsored by Hill ''N ''Dale Nursery 7 Cover Photo Hoya cinnamomifolia Hook. This very large growing species from Java is a real shocker. Described in the literature as having 5/8" extremely waxy, yellow flowers, yellow green flowers or just plain green flowers.. .but always reported as having "blood red crown" "deep purple crown" one description even states "crown is deep purple blood color". Over the years several different species of Hoya have been mistakenly identified from the foliage alone, and sold as H. cinnamomifolia. These plants usually turned out to be in the H. nicholsoniae complex, and although very beautiful, they will never equal the stunning.. .almost garish performance of H. cinnamomifolia in bloom. Even one umbel of open flowers is enough to draw gasps from its viewers. After seeing this plant in bloom, it is hard to imagine how it would be possible to mistake this plant for any other. Nevertheless, we must remember that most of the Hoyas that we now find so unique, were brought into this country as cuttings from the wild, and in many cases several years passed before flowers were available for a possible identification from descriptions in the literature. The foliage of this species is also quite distinctive. Big, bold, heavily veined.. .and what could be called "a masculine looking plant". Another Hoya that closely resembles this species in appearance of the leaves is the true H. purpureofusca Hook. This is an easy plant to grow, but it will not tolerate the cold, and can look very unhappy if the thermometer drops much below 60° F (15° C). A soggy potting medium is another condition that this plant will not tolerate so be sure to add extra drainage material to the mix. There are Hoyas that have larger blooms, fancier foliage and certainly a nicer fragrance... up close this one smells like dirty socks. In spite of this, most collectors of Hoyas find this striking charmer from Java a welcome change from the tranquil and often muted colors of many Hoya species. Photo by Henry Raphael Photo sponsored by Frances Wilkes Potting Mixes Whether you mix your own potting soil for your Hoyas or purchase one of the basic houseplant formulas offered in plant stores and garden centers, there are a few things all potting mediums have in common. Although some plants are grown in pots filled with a single ingredient, many orchids for example are often grown in fir bark alone and bromeliads are frequently grown in nothing but sphagnum moss. Most plants however, grow best in a medium that combines several ingredients. Some of the ingredients in potting soil provide nutrition; others improve texture, enhance drainage, or aid water retention. For example, peat moss soaks up water, and sand ensures that the soil doesn’t remain soggy; compost and other organic matter add texture and provide nutrition. For the best possible appearance and health of your plants, you will need to match the conditions a particular plant prefers with the 8 right soil mix. For example, while all potting soils hold a certain amount of water, some of your Hoyas will require more soil moisture than others. Most Hoyas are perfectly happy in a medium that drains quickly and retains just enough moisture to keep them slightly moist but never soggy. The exceptions are the very thick succulent types that are listed as desert plants such as H. australis ssp. oramicola, H. australis ssp. rupicola and H. australis ssp. sanae. The pH of your soil affects how plant roots absorb water and also the nutrients that are available. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Numbers under 7 are considered acid and numbers over 7 are considered alkaline. Most houseplants, Hoyas included, prefer to grow in a very slightly acid soil with a pH between 6.5 and 6.9. There are a few exceptions. Hoyas in the section Ereostemma are all terrestrial plants and seem to prefer a medium that is more on the neutral side. Store-bought mixes are usually carefully balanced to provide plants with a pH of 6.5 to 6.9. If you are making your own soil mix, be sure to check its pH. Soil testing kits are available at most garden centers, and since soil is affected over time by the pH of your water, it might be a good idea to check your water also. Remember that hard water indicates an alkaline condition and soft water is more on the acid side. ingredients A good potting medium should start with soil and/or compost. Whatever you use, it’s important that it be free of fungi, soilborne diseases, insects, and weed seeds. It should also be light and fast draining. Never use plain garden soil, it is usually much too heavy when used in containers and tends to pack and crust. Also unsterilized garden soil harbors fungi and insects. You can start with good garden loam, or purchased topsoil, then sift it through a screen to remove rocks and large clods and sterilize (pasteurize) it at a temperatures of 180F for an hour or so. It is important that the very center of the soil in the sterilizing container reach this temperature in order to be effective). Sift and sterilize compost or composted manure before you use it, as well. Sharp sand, also known as builders sand, is another basic ingredient. It increases drainage, allowing soil aeration around the roots. Perlite and vermiculite lare common ingredients that add no nutritional value but increase the air and water-holding capacity of the mix. Peat moss is a good source of organic matter to hold moisture in the soil. Leaf mold is another common ingredient that offers nutrients and water-holding capacity and contributes to the structure of the mix. Leaf mold is not generally commercially available, but it can easily be made at home by composting autumn leaves. To these main ingredients, you can add soil amendments such as lime, which neutralizes soil pH and provides calcium. Bonemeal is an excellent source of phosphorus and nitrogen. Commercial Potting Soils Ready-made "All Purpose" potting mixes have a variety of ingredients, and not all manufacturers list the contents of their mixes. Choose a mix that specifies its contents on the package. The Soilless Mixes Soilless mixes are composed of peat moss, perlite (sponge rock) or vermiculite. The fact that they are so light in weight explains their great popularity among professional growers. Light weight soils save shipping costs. But as the name implies, soilless mixes contain no nutrients to offer a growing plant. Plants grown in soilless mixes are beautiful when they receive constant feeding. For best results feed every time you water with a 1/4 strength fertilizer solution. G. Wright 9 H. kenejiana Schlechter fea»ao»9&»a»>a&»flga^a«g3ESfrsa&:«oaaasaMfl^Ka«a^^ ound in 1908, growing on trees in the Galerie forest close to Kenejia in N.E. r New Guinea, at 1 50 meters altitude. A pretty clinging vine with cordlike, loosely leafed branches. The leaves are lush dark green, and slightly wavy. The bright yellow green flowers of this plant turn under along the sides and tips, and are fuzzy on the outer edges. The corona lobes are extremely waxy and pale yellow in color. This is an easy plant to grow, but not an easy plant to bring into flower. The plant pictured bloomed outdoors this past summer, in the patio of Henry and Elsie Raphael of San Diego, California. Henry says the individual flowers are approximately 1/2 inch (1.2 cm.) across, and well worth waiting to see. H. kenejiana is a lovely choice for a hanging basket. As with most Hoyas this plant should be potted in a loose, fast draining mix, and allowed to dry somewhat between waterings. Do not allow the mix to dry out completely, as it is difficult to get the plant going again if it is badly wilted. Photo sponsored by: The San Diego Hoya Group Photo by Henry Raphael 10 BIRD TRACKS Robin # 2.. October, 1992. .Lana Seely (Oregon). .H. lacunosa is budding up again. It has such a nice fragrance and will always be one of my favorites. The little H. bilobata bloomed earlier this summer and you would almost need a magnifying glass to see it, but it is cute. Can anyone tell me about PNG 235? This is one of my newest Hoyas and is not in the picture sets. It has fuzzy leaves like calycina and are about the same size. Also I have ABG-NG-12 and don’t have any idea what the letters stand for as most are either USDA or IML numbers which I am familiar with but occasionally I get a new one like this. Margie, do you remember sending me a herbarium sheet on H. purpureo fusca? it says on the bottom that the flower is white with a red center, but, according to our picture sets it is red with an even darker red center (volume 8). I just bought a good sized plant of it but will probably have to wait til next spring to see it bloom. I’m curious now as to what it will be. Ted Green refers to the plant in his listing as having reddish brown flowers and David Liddle lists it also and describes it as "dark mauve flowers, red corona, trinerved leaves". Editors note: Lana, one Hoya cutting that I received with the numbers PNG 235 is the exact same plant that I received as USDA 354235. It appears that someone merely removed the USDA lettering and changed the first three numbers (354) to PNG. I suppose the PNG is supposed to stand for Papua, New Guinea. The ABG-NG-12 is a Hoya in the H. nicholsoniae complex and has waxy, creamy white flowers with a pretty pink center. The foliage turns a gorgeous mahogony color in bright light. The ABG stands for Atlanta Botanical Garden... I will assume that NG stands for New Guinea, and the number 1 2 is probably either a dealer number or a number from the Botanical Garden. The herbarium sheet mentioned on H. purpureo fusca, is not a herbarium sheet. This is a picture that appeared in Curtis, Botanical Magazine, and is a mirror image (negative was reversed) of the same picture that was used for H. cinnamomifolia. Even the name of H. purpureo fusca describes its color to a Tee. Purpureo fusca means "purple brown flowered". Robin # 2.. .November 1992. .Mary Jean Sargent (Oregon).. I usually get 100% rooting on my cuttings. I use Rootone, put cuttings close together in vermiculite and cover lightly with transparent plastic wrap or plastic bags (opened out flat). I put them in the corner at the end of my plant light stand, and most are rooted and ready to pot up within 2 weeks, a little longer in the winter. They only ones that don’t root are the ones that get bumped out of firm contact with the vermiculite. Robin # 3. ..November, 1992. .Dale Kloppenburg (California). .All my plants have been moved back into the greenhouse. It is so crowded in there that it is hard to keep track of all the pots. At first, the extra heat and humidity makes everything excel. Finally however the decreased light causes leaves to fall. I turn on flouescent lights in the evening and on cloudy days and leave them on till 8:00 P.M. to try to get some added light. So far we have not had much fog, but I’m sure it is coming. Then the leaves will really start dropping. We have had as many as five weeks straight of foggy and overcast skies with no sun at all. This is the worst part of this valley. I am not having any trouble with my H. curtisii. It is growing like a weed in the same old "you name it mix" that I grow all my Hoyas in. I have it in a somewhat shady spot. About every month I get 3 or 4 new cuttings from the Philippines. I have studied 43 herbarium sheets from that area thoroughly, and it really makes my day when I can make a correct determination from the unknowns. I Apologize Dear Members; I am so sorry for the late mailing of these last two issues of Fraterna. I’ve been nursing a severe back problem since July, and sitting long hours at the computer was aggravating the condition to a point where my doctors were considering surgery. I was real good, done everything I was supposed to do (including exercises). I stayed out of the rafters of the greenhouse, and I didn’t climb on the roof. I was allowed to attend the San Diego meeting in September, but had to fly instead of driving. It was my first plane trip and I loved it. Things are looking better, at least I escaped surgery this time. I have already started on the March issue of Fraterna, and with luck and perserverance should have it out on schedule. Thank You for your patience. 11 Ann Wayman The Association for plant & flower people who grow in hobby greenhouses and windows! Quarterly Magazine Growing & Maintenance Help & Advice Hobby Greenhouse Association 8 Glen Terrace, Bedford, MA 01730-2048 Dues 512 USA, 514 Canada, 515 Overseas Sample magazine 53 J THE HOYA CONNECTION lots of varieties U.S.A. Sales Only Send $1.00 for list Cindy Hay 3829 Brownsville Dr. Bellingham, WA 98226 < Writ b for my latest Asclepiad List or Orchid List. Always something new and expensive. J&c GREEN: PLANT RESEARCH P O. BOX 735. KAAAWA. HAWAII 96730 TELEPHONE (808) 237-867 2 V. J 12 We now have twelve complete volumes of pictures ready as follows $5.90 per set of ten prints or any two sets for $10.50 first class postage paid. Overseas & Canada $15.50 per two sets. Volume 1 H. australis H. lacunosa H. pubicalyx ‘Fresno Beauty’ H. multiflora H. serpens H. sp. tanna H. sp. Bangkok #4 H. obovata (foliage) H. globulosa (foliage) H. meredithii (foliage) Volume 2 H. ‘Mini Belle’ H. latifolia H. subquentuplinervis H. variegata H. compacta H. obscura H. pubicalyx ‘Bright one’ H. bella H. shepherdii H. polystachya (foliage) Volume 3 H. cinnamomifolia H. gracilis H. pubicalyx (dark red seedling) H. sp. PNG 4 H. arnottiana H. kenejiana H. kerrii (Fuzzy leaf) H. acuta (Green Form) H. pachyclada H. obovata Volume 4 H. fuscomarginata H. # 454 (unidentified Hoya species) H. polystachya H. acuta (lemon) H. species # CI-1244 H. species # F-484 H. species USDA #354246 H. pubicalyx Cv. Red Buttons H. species (New Guinea Gold) H. nicholsoniae # IML37 Volume 5 H. diversifolia H. nicholsoniae # IML 39 H. cumingiana H. neo ebudica H. padangensis H. camphorifolia H. inconspicua H. caudata var. crassifolia H. Spec. PNG-1 H. erythrina Volume 6 H. fraterna H. coronaria Form 1 H. limoniaca H. bilobata H. spec. PNG-6 H. tsangi H. diptera H. acuta (bronze) H. fungii H. diversifolia-B Volume 7 H. carnosa cv. "Krinkle 8" H. sp. Saba, Malaysia H. Sp. WMZ H. polyneura H. sp. WMZ (Back of flower & calyx) H. nummularioides (formerly called H. pubera) H. acuta Penang H. plicata H. carnosa cv. "Dapple Gray" H. sanae Volume 8 H. purpureo fusca H. odorata H. pottsii H. Sp. IML 33 H. picta H. pseudo littoralis H. nicholsoniae (from Logee’s) H. micrantha H. vitiensis H. curtisii (foliage) Volume 9 H. sp. USDA #354236 (calycina) H. merrilli H. affinis H. darwinii H. pubicalyx ‘Chimera* H. sp. ‘Gold Star’ H. sp. # BSI-1 H. archboldiana (Red Form) H. finlaysonii H. naumanii Volume 10 H. pubicalyx (Silver Pink) H. rupicola H. vitellina H. sp. IML # 234 (obscura) H. meliflua H. engleriana H. megalaster H. archboldiana (Pink Form) H. sp. Bangkok Red H. sp. cebu Volume 11 H. mitrata H. sp. DAV-817 H. dimorpha H. multiflora H. sp. Sabah, Malaysia #IML 557 H. erythrostemma H. sussuella (ariadna) H. kentiana H. incrassata H. chuniana Volume 12 H. eitapensis H. curtisii/pruinosa H. sp. (New Guinea White) H. poolei H. pallida H. sp. Kuching, Borneo # IML 232 H. chlorantha var. tutuilensis H. diptera (from Fiji) International Hoya Association P.O.Box 5130 Central Point, OR. 97502 13 rums gr rw rnumnEi or THt or tor amt mnivuwtt or na mkimmi i ewntiii ■•me ... Hmkitnl fjCk. 't /*- ft ,W ' 3 'V&y**,,. OiJ*- ,-mT -■ trAxt. -*i« Lnrat / ji/am* . - B thuiHfhr, hrrn*i higti \ w n»nrr ' ^/V ' jf »*4 1 l -yyjxjlc / c/,/: >< A MJU# V' ^ ‘ / ,1 A,*, «•<•*. Id I , Cnltfrlor $ f$ <•11. AV o’ 5~ J* 0*f, J d»u. J'^yr .iT /TJ_.,_, , Itcrb/rfum No. - X S^ l 5 - I - ' Hoya brittonii Kloppenburg sp. nova Type # 19519 PNH collected by B.B, Britton at Badoc, Calapan, Mindoro Creek, Mindoro, Philippines 5 May 1953 Suffrutex, epiphyticus, ramosus, scandens. Rami subincrassati, sub flexuosi , lax foliati, teretes, glabri. Folia patentia vel patula, carnosa, obovata ad lanceolato-ellipticis cuspidata vei acuta , basi angusta cuneata, glabra. Petioio ca. 1.5 cm. longo, giabro; cymis umbelliformibus, graciliter pedunculatis; pedunculo tereti, giabro 3.5 cm. longo; pediceilis filiformibus ad 1. 1 cm. longis, floribusillis H. pusilla Rintz sed ampluis. Calycis segments ovata. margine ciliata quam corolla paulo breviora. Corolla clausa vei partim aperta, lobis ovatis acutis, extus glabra, intus apice vel inferus coronam excepto pilosis. Corona compactum, complexum. This species appears on many herbarium sheets labeled H. gracilis Schlechter or H. gracilis var. philippinensis Schlechter. It is not in the Acanthostemma section as is H. gracilis. I have found only one herbarium specimen (UC) with a partially open flower, which in this state appears a little campanulate (all other flowers were found closed). The leaves are noted to be thick and on drying are pinnately veined, 3-4 looping nerves on either side of a somewhat obscure midrib. They appear also to be nerved. The species is similar to H. pusilla Rintz from Malaya but differs from this species in a number of important ways. The corolla is densely silky pubescent on the inner surface except for the apical area and under the corona. The folds of the annulus appear to be more complex in their convolutions. The flower apparently does not readily open up and is nearly twice or more larger, being 0.7-0.9 cm. in diameter flattened. Critical measurements from the type specimen: Internodes: long rather stout, and variable in length, glabrous, branched with the nodal areas somewhat flattened and enlarged. Leaf Blade: variable but generally obovate 8 cm. long, 3 cm. wide above the middle, thick, glabrous on both surfaces, with a cuneate base leading into the petiole; pinnately nerved, probably obsolete in the living state. Petiole: 1 .0-1 .5 cm. long mostly straight, glabrous 1/2 or less the diameter of the stem from which it arises. Peduncle: about 3.5 cm. long 0.1 cm. in diameter, round, glabrous. Pedicel: curved variable in length (forming flat topped umbels), about 1.0 cm. long, 0.05 cm. in diameter enlarging toward the calyx, minutely puberulous or densely granulose (actually with broad based very short sharp apexed cells). Calyx segments: ovate to somewhat broadly triangular, margins ciliate 0.08 cm. x 0.08 cm. with iigules at the sinuses. Corolla: tends to remain closed or only partially opening and then somewhat campanulate. It is possible that it remains open only a short time and thus is found in the closed state on my herbarium sheets. It is equally possible that the flower opens and is revolute as in other Otostemma species and that all the herbarium sheets have immature unopened umbels. Glabrous on the outside and on the inside under the corona and at the outer apical area ( bare 0.1 cm.) otherwise this inner surface is covered with a thick rather long pubescence. Sinus to sinus 0.20 cm.; sinus to apex 0.20 cm.; sinus to center 0.20; apex to center 0.35 cm. making the diameter 0.7 cm.; widest above the sinus 0.21 cm.; with a prominent collar 0.05 cm. deep and 0.05 cm. when the column is removed. Corona: small, low dome shaped. Central 5 lobes with inner angles tapering to a short blunt apex, outer angles broadly rounded, translucent and raised as in Otostemma, also cupped on the upper surface, below on each side arise two additional tongue like extensions which are a partial annulus, instead of being a continuous annulus (skirt) they are divided below the outer apex of the coronal lobe and extend on either side of the central scale. In a dry specimen they diverge at 45 degree angles, instead of hanging down like an annulus or skirt. The outer surfaces of the prominent fleshy anther appendages are covered by the extensions of the lateral lobe which in fact is a divided annulus. The surface curves under the anther wings then around and over the edge, covers about 1/2 or more of the wings upper surface. (It is similar to a 5 fid convoluted annulus with one portion on either side projecting laterally from under the corona scale at a 45 degree angle). Apex to apex 0.11 cm.; apex to center 0.11 cm.; lower surface apex to collar 0.07 cm.; anther wing outer apex to anther wing outer apex 0.07 cm.; anther wing length 0.045 cm.-0.Q50 cm. Retinaculum: -.011 cm. long, with bifid outer apex, Inner apex rounded (knob-like) narrowing in the central portion expanded roundly again above the outer apex. It is from this latter area that the translators arise. Translators: curved, narrow and long exceeding the bulbous caudicle. prominent about 1/2 longer than the retinaculum, widest portion 0.0038 cm., caudicle bubble shaped 0.005 cm. widest. Pollinia: not seen, probably very short and rounded. Staminal head: a double cone with flared base, apex to outer edge of fused stigmas 0.024 cm. Since the annulus is non continuous in this new species as opposed to those of H. lacunosa Blume and H. obscura Elmer ex Burton it differs from both these species. It appears from Dr. Rintz’s drawing of H. pusilla Rintz that it also may be close to this new species (I have not seen a flower of his species). Dale Kloppenburg -- - ' Hoya biittonii Kloppenburg sp. nova Type # 1 951 9 Top View Corolla Inside Anther Wings See detailed measurements in description. I 4-4 tj fy « /*> nA *** H„ . dC* I LC SN*** ~1 r 1 Hb*ir«i •ll*,l #1* *••! I, ,4’fJ, l««ft * — ■„ *<■* Wi»|*M •*/ fhj vM^f, l>p**# f *.r *a J'l**- «• Type Sheet mS JL FIJBB4 nKT»lf Mlll.llTiyfft V Ml »**<>• I r». «•• jjjjg I! KLf f. •.'••. V*:*' t Lojtl » V. K«mI» a. IS. rAU ,,,., inufim «<• vw m i«* «»» ms** * r UMife* «h s»h « II Hoya aiaantanaanensis Kloppenburg sp. nova Type #36787 PNH collected by Yoshio Kondo & G. Edano 26 March 1957, at Gigantangan, Leyet, Philippines. Section: Acanthosfemma Suffrutex epiphyticus, ramosus, scandens. Rami flexuosi, lax foliati, teretes, glabri, beni foliati, radicanti. Folia patentia vel patuia, ianceolata acuminata, basi subcuneato-rotundata, glabra, petioio subbrevi, superne leviter sulcato; pedunculo iongissimus, glabris; pedicellis gracilibus, glabris. Flores in section mediocribus. Calycis segmenta ovata, glabra, margine ciliolata, corolla multi breviora. Corolla revoluta, usque ad teretiam partem basilarem 5~fida, lobis triangularis, acuminatis, extus glabris, intus apice glabrato excepto populis reversis subulatis cristalinis obtectis. Coronae foiiata extus decun/a, oblanceoiato-elliptica, antice acuminata postice obtusa subtus in auriculas 2 oblongas foliolum superantes extensa, antheris inferiora. An ornamental climbing vine with leaves of similar shape to H. bordenii Schlechter but with pinnate venation. I n addition to the distinctive foliage this species has a very long (20 cm.) glabrous, terete peduncle. The corona is very upright with the inner lobes overtopping the anthers. The outer lobe and bifid side appendages are at 90 degrees to the floral axis. The bilobed extensions are beautifully linearly lined; surround and extend beyond the outer scale apex which is cut off rather abruptly . The anther appendages are swollen and noticeable. The bilobed extensions are modified into a skirt, thick, fleshy and inflated, extending under the outer apex of the anther appendage, not however, as in the Otostemma section. Leaf Blade: 11-16 cm. x 2.4-6.2 cm., pinnate venation, both surfaces glabrous. Petiole: heavy, curved 1.3-1 .5 cm. long, probably grooved above. Stems: stout, rooting glabrous. Peduncles: extremely long 20 cm. ca. 0.2 cm. in diameter, round, glabrous. Rachis: columnar. Pedicel: curved, filiform, terete, 1 .5-2.8 cm. x 0.05 cm. Calyx: somewhat triangular, narrowly rounded apex, 0.21 cm. long and 0.17 cm. at the widest (near the base); ciliate, ligules are present. Ovaries: 0.12 cm. tall 0.13 cm. at the base. Corolla: outside glabrous, inside pubescent except for the apical area, apex acute. Sinus to sinus 0.33 cm.; sinus to apex 0.37 cm.; apex to center 0.57 cm. making the flower diameter flattened 1.14 cm.; sinus to center 0.25 cm.; widest portion of corolla lobe 0.32 cm. Corona: central portion upright even in dry specimen. Inner lobe reaching above the anther appendage, inner lobe ligulate. Other details above. Sulcate below formed by the bilobed extensions. Stigma Head: (staminal apex area): short triangular with a mealy central head. Pollinia: 0.57 mm. long, 0.15 mm. wide. T ranslators short. Retinaculum 0.19 mm. long. - ' Hoy a gigantanaanensis Kloppenburg sp. nova ii . I ysm iloyn nwr( no. Hrrtotriltt Ho Coif'd <>r Quldunbing, del Bosario, . BA.TAilfi.il, Itbayat Id* tw./i, Jtbnynt HMiot in w«od8 Ahifurtc «l 9vr Ihr or* m firm. rw; ifirlth; buth • 1*1 ; htrt Height of fitnnt .... M- P*im .... - - - lh,t$ „ March 31, f|6l K If. f'oatf l*C>. W oilOM s Type Sheet *79411 FLORA OF THE PHILIPPINES rntirpna »*no»u. hjoamitm BATANES ITiAYAT ISLAND Cfilt £ Qw*»«K»i"«. * **» H Cormjn •IIXII— • Watch i«i III Hoya auisumbinaii Kloppenbura sp. nova Type sheet # 79412 PNH. Collected by Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing et. al. on Itayat Island, Batanes, Luzon, Philippines 31 March 1961. Section: Acanthostemma. Suffructexparum ramosus, scandens, alte scandens, rami flexuosi, bene foliati, teretes, glabri. Folia patentia vel patula petiolata, lanceolato-elliptica vel elliptica, pungens, textura coriacea, utrique glabra superne lucida, subtus opaca, petiolo minute et sparsum puberula, longo; pedunculo tereti, glabra; pedicelles, filiformibus, glabrous. Calyx foliola lanceolato-ovato subacuta, glabra vel subinconspicue ciliolata, quam ligulae presenta. Corolla rotate, usque ad teretiam partem inferiorem, 5-fida, extus glabra, intus pubescenta, lobus recurvis vel revoluta. acutis. Coronae foliola late ovata, apice subacuta, extus obtusa, superne plana diamidio anteriore subcarinata, lateribus carinato-marginata, extus apicebus bilobata. An ornamental vine with purplish flowers, about the size of Hoya panchoi Kloppenburg ie. 1 .6 cm. in diameter flattened. The foliage is very distinctive and different than most Acanthostemma Hoyas, with the leaves being "willow like", narrowly lanceolate, penninerved on long etioles, glabrous on both surfaces, shiny above, dull elow. This species has a tendency to form a second or even third set of leaves, each pair at 90 degrees to the first pair, and arising immediately (sessile) to the pair below, thus forming masses of leaves. The large flower and distinctive leaves set it apart from other Acanthostemma section penninerved species. Details: Internodes: 2-13 cm. long, glabrous 0.10-0.20 cm. in diameter on type specimen. Leaf Blade: 8.0-12.3 cm. long; 2.0-2.3 cm. at the widest, near the middle, tapering to a narrow base and with a long drawn out sharp somewhat rigid apex, which in many instances is curved a little downward; with pinnate venation 6-8 pairs on either side of the midrib area, which is more evident above, but also prominent below and on the side with a few stiff hairs along its straight length from the petiole to the apex. Petiole: curved to straight mostly 2-2.5 cm. long, round not grooved above and merging with the leaf base. On the new growth there is a fine puberulous indentum not present on older growth. Pedicel: curved, various lengths, glabrous, round, filiform to 3 cm. long ca. 0.1 cm. in diameter. Calyx: segments broadly ovate near the base tapering to a rounded apex, membranaceous, with the edges slightly incised or with an occasional cilia 0. 1 8 cm. tall, widest portions 0.15 cm.; 1-2 ligules at the sinuses, segments overlap ca. 1/4. Corolla: reflexed or revolute 1 .6 cm. in diameter (flat), cut 2/3 the way to the base. Outside glabrous inside puberulous under the corona, pubescent otherwise except for the triangular apical area. Critical measurements: Corolla sinus to center 0.34 cm.; sinus to apex 0.53 cm. apex to center 0.80 cm.; widest above sinus 0.38 cm.; apex acute. Corona: somewhat raised toward the center, scales 0.25 cm. long, inner lobes meet in the center or nearly so, scale broad in the center 0.18 cm.; outer apex rounded with two lobes arising from well up on the scale sides, extending 0.07 cm. beyond the outer apex, these bilobed extensions are beautifully linearly lined, meet and overlap at the outer extremity and form the sulcation below the scale. Poilinia: 0.052 cm. long 0.018 cm. at the widest portion. Translators appear short with the retinaculum 0.027 cm. long appearing to be very narrow. I take pleasure in naming this species in honor of its collector. He holds his doctorate degree from the University of Chicago, and was a Guggenheim Fellow at Harvard University. He is an internationally renowned author on the taxonomy of Philippine plants, former Director of the National Museum, and a professor of Botany at the University of the Far East. - Hova quisumbinaii Kioppenburg sp. nova in