Day 198: When Hoya carnosa bursts forth, it does so in an explosion of little succulent stars which, when observed closely, appear to be made of white velvet blushed with pink. They feel waxy due to their thickness(hence the name), but in fact they are as fuzzy-wuzzy as a teddy bear. Each star bears another smaller one in its center, and each pendent umbel hosts a dozen or more blossoms, a veritable galaxy of double-star systems, each one with a dark nova at its core.
Carnosa is but one variety of Hoya, and a common one at that. There are dozens of other varieties, each with flowers unique to the type. Some grow as vines, others as a mat. Some climb, some trail. Some bloom in only one season and others bloom almost continuously. Many are easily grown as houseplants, at least for foliage. Bringing them into blossom may prove trickier, though. I've been tending a H. lauterbachii for about ten years now with no sign of a flower, but my H. bella more than makes up for it with a shower of stars every six weeks or so. Carnosa comes but once a year, like the Perseid meteors, and it makes it worth the wait.
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