The World's Most Perfect Houseplant

Day 34: Hoya bella has no common name. It needs none. Anyone looking at this plant when it is in full bloom will automatically say, "Beautiful Hoya!" which, of course, is what its Latin designation means.

You might think this was a delicate hothouse species requiring infinite patience and care. Quite the opposite! If you are a haphazard caregiver as I am, you may notice that you've allowed its leaves to wither until they look like green raisins. Don't panic. Just pour some water on it and a few hours later, the leaves will have plumped up again.

Hoya bella is a member of the subdivision of Hoyas known as "everblooming." It will put on a profusion of blossom clusters such as this one approximately every six weeks. The flowers are thick and waxy, delicately scented with a soft perfume. The pendent umbels contain up to ten individual flowers and form not only at the tips of the stems but also at various nodes.

The plant is a rapid grower. When mine reaches three or four feet in length (at least once a year), I prune it back to a more manageable two feet and root the slips to give to friends. No home should be without one!