Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Hoya carnosa
Wax Plant
The Hoya carnosa, or Wax Plant, is a slow twining climber with thick succulent leaves and rounded umbels of star-shaped flowers that look moulded rather than grown. The flowers are pale pink with a red centre and release a strong scent after dark.
It climbs to 3 to 6 metres on a support and is equally at home trailing from a hanging planter, which makes it one of the few genuinely dual-purpose interior climbers.
Specifications
- Height3 to 6 metres (as a climber)
- Width1 to 2 metres
- Native toEastern Asia and eastern Australia, from southern China and India southward
- FoliageThick waxy oval leaves, deep green and sometimes silver-flecked; evergreen
- Growth rateSlow to moderate
Conditions
- SoilRequires a very free-draining bark-based or gritty mix
- LightBright indirect light to partial shade
- WaterLow; allow to dry between waterings
- ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions and in stable interiors; frost tender
Additional Features
- FlowersRounded umbels of waxy star flowers, pale pink with a red centre, strongly fragrant at night in summer
- UsesIdeal for interior landscaping, sheltered courtyard trellises and hanging planters
- SpacingPlant 0.5 to 1 metre apart along a support
- Low MaintenanceLeave the flowering spurs in place; they rebloom year after year
- Pest ResistanceGenerally sound; mealybug can appear in still interior air
- Drought ToleranceSucculent leaves store water and forgive missed irrigation
- Seasonal AppealSummer flowering with fragrance that carries strongly in the evening
The Wax Plant is a long-lived, forgiving climber that rewards being left alone more than being tended.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 09 September 2026