Origins

Hoya (wax plants) - tropical vines with thick, waxy leaves and fragrant star-shaped flowers - became a collecting obsession among advanced plant parents 2018-2021.

Why Hoyas Blew Up (2018-2020)

Appeal:

• 200-500+ species to collect
• Rewarding blooms (fragrant, nectar-dripping)
• Drought-tolerant (thick succulent-like leaves)
• Unique varieties (heart-shaped, fuzzy, twisted)
• Slow-growing (low-maintenance)

Instagram growth: 100K posts (2018) → 800K+ posts (2021).

Popular Varieties

Beginner-friendly:

• Hoya carnosa (classic, $10-20)
• Hoya pubicalyx (dark leaves, maroon flowers, $15-30)

Mid-tier:

• Hoya kerrii (heart-shaped, Valentine’s Day plant, $15-40)
• Hoya linearis (fuzzy trailing strings, $30-60)
• Hoya obovata (round leaves with silver flecks, $25-50)

Collector’s items:

• Hoya serpens (fuzzy mini leaves, $50-100)
• Hoya macrophylla variegated ($100-300)
• Hoya mathilde (compact, prolific bloomer, $40-80)

Bloom Culture (2019-2021)

Hoya blooms became the ultimate flex:

• Fragrant (some smell like chocolate, others like citrus)
• Produce nectar (sticky drips)
• Can bloom for weeks
• “Don’t cut the peduncle!” (flower stalk) became a mantra

Bloom photos dominated #Hoya hashtags.

Collecting Community

Hoya collectors are obsessive:

• Facebook groups with 50K+ members
• Trading rare cuttings ($20-200+)
• Documenting every variety owned (“Hoya shelf tour”)
• Debates about ID, care, bloom conditions

Rare Hoya Pricing (2020-2021)

Rare Hoyas reached absurd prices:

• Hoya tsangii (single cutting, $150-300)
• Hoya bilobata ($100-200)
• Hoya callistophylla ($80-150)

Cultural Impact

Hoyas attracted patient, detail-oriented plant parents - the opposite of instant-gratification Monstera collectors. Represented plant parenting as a long-term hobby.

Sources

• Facebook Hoya groups analytics (2018-2021)
• Etsy rare Hoya sales data (2020-2021)
• r/Hoyas subreddit (40K+ members, 2020)