30 Types of Hoya You Can Grow at Home

Hoya is a large genus of tropical flowering plants in the Apocynaceae family with over 500 accepted species. Also commonly called wax plants, these vining plants are native to Asia and closely related to common milkweed plants, which can be found across North America.

Hoyas are popular as houseplants thanks to their thick foliage, attractive flowers, and low-maintenance nature. Plus, hoya species vary drastically in shape and growth habits, making them excellent collectors plants. Here are 30 types of hoya that you can grow at home.

01 of 30
Hoya Carnosa

The Spruce / Cori Sears

Hoya carnosa is the most common and popular type of hoya for indoor growing. It can be found at most nurseries and indoor plant shops and is characterized by long vines covered with thick oblong leaves that are sometimes flecked with white. There are many different varieties and cultivars of the carnosa available, popular ones including the ‘Compacta,’ ‘Krimson Princess,’ and ‘Tricolor,’ among others.
- Name: Hoya carnosa
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Medium green
02 of 30
Hoya Carnosa ‘Compacta’

The Spruce / Cori Sears

Also called the Hindu rope plant, the hoya carnosa ‘Compacta’ is a popular type of hoya carnosa. It is known for its crinkled and curled leaves that grow in a thick rope-like vine. It’s a slow-growing variety known for being low-maintenance and easy to care for.
- Name: Hoya carnosa ‘Compacta’
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green crinkled leaves
03 of 30
Hoya Carnosa ‘Krimson Princess’

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Hoya carnosa ‘Krimson Princess’ is beloved for its showy pink and white variegation. Its leaves are white or cream in the center with green around the edges. Its petioles and stems are dark pink. New leaves emerge with light pink variegation that usually disappears as they mature. Like other carnosa varieties, the krimson princess is known for being low-maintenance.
- Name: Hoya carnosa ‘Krimson Princess’
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green with white variegation in the middle
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Hoya Carnosa ‘Tricolor’

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Similar to the Krimson Princess, the hoya carnosa ‘Tricolor’ is a carnosa variety with green and white variegation. However, rather than leaves edged with green, the ‘Tricolor’ has leaves with green centers and white variegation along the outside. It’s more common to see entirely white leaves on this carnosa variety. New leaves tend to have pink variegation as well. Under the right light conditions, this pink variegation will stick around more readily than with the Krimson Princess.
- Name: Hoya carnosa ‘Tricolor’
- Light: Bright, indirect light - direct sun will encourage more pink variegation
- Leaf Color: Green with white variegated edges and pink variegation throughout
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Hoya Australis

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Hoya australis is another popular and common type of hoya. At first glance, it may look similar to the hoya carnosa, but there are a few subtle differences to help you tell these two apart. The hoya australis has rounder leaves. The leaves are also slightly thinner than the carnosa’s thick and waxy foliage. It’s considered easy to grow and care for and enjoys bright, indirect light.
- Name: Hoya australis
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Medium green
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Hoya Pubicalyx

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The hoya pubicalyx is growing in popularity thanks to its attractive narrow leaves. There are several varieties of pubicalyx, the most common being the ‘Splash,’ ‘Black Dragon,’ ‘Pink Silver,’ and ‘Red Buttons.’ This hoya is low-maintenance and has a medium growth rate. It does best in bright, indirect light and a chunky, well-drained soil mix.
- Name: Hoya pubicalyx
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green with white flecks
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Hoya Kentiana

The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong

A narrow-leaved species, the hoya kentiana has green bean-shaped leaves rimmed in dark green and maroon. It is rare and difficult to find, often kept by collectors and hoya enthusiasts. It is commonly confused with its close relatives, the hoya wayetti and hoya shepherdii. Keep it in a bright, warm, and humid location to help it thrive.
- Name: Hoya kentiana
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green with dark green or maroon rims
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Hoya Kerrii

The Spruce / Cori Sears

Also known as the sweetheart plant or Valentine’s hoya, the hoya kerrii is famous for its large, heart-shaped leaves. You’ll commonly see this plant sold as single-leaf cuttings, but it’s actually best to buy a full plant as the single leaves usually don’t have nodes to grow any new foliage. There are a few different popular varieties of hoya kerrii including hoya kerrii ‘Variegata,’ and hoya kerrii “Splash.”
- Name: Hoya kerrii
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green, heart-shaped
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Hoya Obovata

The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong

Hoya obovota is known for its large dark green round leaves flecked with white. Compared to other Hoya varieties, the obovata is considered slow-growing. It is rare and difficult to find. You might need to check out your local specialty houseplant shop to get your hands on one. It does best in bright indirect light with infrequent watering.
- Name: Hoya obovata
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Dark green with white flecks
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Hoya Mathilde

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The hoya mathilde is a hybrid between the hoya carnosa and hoya serpens. It has small round leaves and stays relatively small compared to other varieties. While the serpens can be hard to find, the hoya mathilde is often sold at nurseries and greenhouses. It does best when given a trellis to climb. When happy, it is known for being a prolific bloomer.
- Name: Hoya mathilde
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Dark green with white flecks
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Hoya Retusa

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One of the most unique-looking hoyas, the hoya retusa, has thin stick-like foliage. This characteristic has earned it the nickname “grass-leafed hoya.” Not only is it attractive, but this hoya is considered low-maintenance and easy to grow. It looks great in hanging planters where its foliage can spread out.
- Name: Hoya retusa
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Dark green
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Hoya Wayetii

The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

This hoya has narrow leaves and a bushier growth habit than some other varieties. Its foliage is green, but its leaves begin to turn red around the edges when given direct sunlight. This succulent plant loves humidity and is also known for being slow-growing. It makes a great bathroom plant if you have the correct light to give to it.
- Name: Hoya wayetii
- Light: Bright indirect light to direct sunlight
- Leaf Color: Dark green – leaves begin to turn red around the edge when sun-stressed
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Hoya Curtisii

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Hoya curtisii is known for its small, heart-shaped leaves and lush cascading foliage. From a distance, it almost resembles a string of hearts plant, although its vines are much fuller. It does best in bright, indirect light and a chunky, well-drained soil mix.
- Name: Hoya curtisii
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Light green
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Hoya Latifolia

The Spruce / Adelyn Duchala

Hoya latifolia (formerly known as hoya macrophylla) is famous for its large leaves that can grow up to 8 inches long. The leaves are green with white edges and lightly raised veins down the leaves. When grown indoors, these plants can grow up to 6 feet long, and outdoors can grow up to 15 feet long.
- Name: Hoya latifolia (previously hoya macrophylla)
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green with white or yellow variegation
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Hoya Fitchii

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The hoya fitchii is an attractive hoya species with large green leaves decorated with delicate white veining. Not only is its foliage eye-catching, but its flowers are too. The fitchii’s blooms are coral, pink, and yellow with a sweet aroma. Keep the fitchii in bright, indirect light to keep it happy.
- Name: Hoya fitchii
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green with white veining
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Hoya Shepherdii

The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong

Sometimes called string bean hoya because of the shape of its foliage, the hoya sherpherdii is characterized by long, narrow succulent-like leaves. It is commonly confused with the hoya wayetii, but the shepherdii has longer leaves and isn’t as bushy as the wayetii. Give it lots of bright, indirect light and a chunky well-draining soil mix to help it thrive.
- Name: Hoya shepherdii
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Medium green
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Hoya Burtoniae

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The hoya burtoniae has attractive dark green, fuzzy, almond-shaped leaves and a bushy growth habit. When sun-stressed, they take on light pink and red variegation. Unfortunately, these hoyas are considered rare and can be hard to find. If you do get your hands on one, keep it in bright, indirect light and water only when the soil is completely dry.
- Name: Hoya burtoniae
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Dark green
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Hoya Linearis

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Similar to the hoya retusa, the hoya linearis is known for its thin, stick-like foliage. However, the linearis can be distinguished by its long vines with shorter leaves than the retusa. Keep it in a hanging basket to display its long vines in all their glory.
- Name: Hoya linearis
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green
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Hoya Finlaysonii

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The hoya finlaysonii has green leaves with dark green veining. When sun-stressed, the leaves will take on a yellow and orange tint. Keep it in bright indirect light and water when the soil is dry. To sun-stress it, move it to a location with brief periods of direct sunlight.
- Name: Hoya finlaysonii
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Light green with dark green veining
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Hoya Rosita

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Hoya rosita is a hybrid of hoya wayetii and hoya tsangii. It is considered rare and difficult to find. It’s characterized by thick oblong medium-to-light green leaves rimmed in dark green and maroon. It does best in bright, indirect light and can tolerate short periods of direct sunlight.
- Name: Hoya rosita
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Medium to light green with dark green and maroon edges
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21 of 30
Hoya Krohniana

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The hoya krohniana has small, somewhat triangular leaves. It does best in bright, indirect light. It is not well-suited to either low light or direct sunlight. Its flowers are white and cream-colored with a sweet fragrance.
- Name: Hoya krohniana
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green
22 of 30
Hoya Multiflora

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Compared to other hoyas, the hoya multiflora is unique in several ways. While most types of hoya have similar-looking clusters of flowers (although they come in many colors), the hoya multiflora is known for its unique-looking blooms. Unlike other common hoya species, the hoya multiflora has an upright growth habit and somewhat thin leaves.
- Name: Hoya multiflora
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green
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Hoya Merrillii

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The hoya merrillii is known for its large and stunning multi-colored foliage. When sun-stressed, this plant features red, yellow, and green colors. Under regular conditions, this large-leafed hoya has medium green leaves with light green veining.
- Name: Hoya merrillii
- Light: Bright, indirect light to direct sunlight
- Leaf Color: Green – red, yellow, and green when sun-stressed
24 of 30
Hoya Thomsonii

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Hoya thomsonii is a type of hoya that does best in cooler temperatures. That means this hoya should be kept out of direct sunlight to prevent burning. Another thing that makes this hoya unique is its fuzzy foliage and grey-green color.
- Name: Hoya thomsonii
- Light: Bright to medium indirect light
- Leaf Color: Grey-green
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Hoya Globulosa

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The hoya globulosa has long oval leaves that are light green with dark green veins. When it blooms, the flowers are small and white with purple accents in the center of the flower. This hoya is considered uncommon and may be hard to find. Grow it in a hanging basket or add a trellis to watch this plant climb.
- Name: Hoya globulosa
- Light: Bright indirect light
- Leaf Color: Light green with dark green veining
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Hoya Lauterbachii

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If you like fuzzy leaves, the hoya lauterbachii is for you. This vining plant isn’t just known for its soft foliage – its oversized blooms are showstoppers too. Unlike many other hoyas on this list, however, it is rare to see the hoya lauterbachii bloom when grown indoors. With that said, many growers love the challenge.
- Name: Hoya lauterbachii
- Light: Bright, indirect light to direct sunlight
- Leaf Color: Green and fuzzy
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Hoya Callistophylla

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One of the most sought-after hoyas, the hoya callistophylla has large light green leaves with dark green veining. It is considered rare and difficult to find. If you get your hands on one, ensure you give it warm temperatures, plenty of bright indirect light, and high humidity.
- Name: Hoya callistophylla
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Light green with dark green veining
28 of 30
Hoya Serpens

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Hoya serpens is known for its small round leaves and unique light green flowers. Compared to other types of hoyas it is considered somewhat difficult to care for but is also fast-growing under the right conditions. The key is to keep humidity high and temperatures warm.
- Name: Hoya serpens
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Medium green
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Hoya Imbricata

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Fans of the monstera dubia will adore this unique and rare type of hoya. The hoya imbricata does best when mounted and given something to climb since it is a climber in its natural habitat. Similar to the monstera dubia, the imbricata's entire leaf (not just its stem and aerial roots) attaches to whatever it's climbing, giving it an interesting look.
- Name: Hoya imbricata
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Dark green and light green
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Hoya Elliptica

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The hoya elliptica is an uncommon hoya prized for its waxy green leaves with light green and silver veining. It’s easy to grow, fast-growing and will reward you with clusters of beautiful white flowers in the spring and summer.
- Name: Hoya elliptica
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Leaf Color: Green with light green/silver veining