Hoya australis subsp. melanesica
An accepted climbing subspecies from the Solomon Islands and southwestern Pacific, with several older botanical names.
This page follows the accepted subspecies and its naming history. Its original description remains a research gap, so detailed leaf, flower and cultivation claims are not yet included.
Overview
Hoya australis subsp. melanesica is an accepted botanical subspecies. Kew’s Plants of the World Online records it from the Solomon Islands and southwestern Pacific and describes it as a climber. The reference cites Paul Forster and David Liddle’s 2008 publication in Asklepios. The original description has not yet been reviewed for this profile.
Photo Gallery
No identity-, rights-, and profile-reviewed photographs are available yet.
What We Know
- Kew lists the native range as Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and Wallis-Futuna Islands.
- The reference describes a climber associated mainly with the wet tropical biome. This broad classification does not establish a watering schedule or optimum indoor conditions.
- Kew places Hoya bicarinata, Hoya billardierei and Hoya pubescens in synonymy with this subspecies. These botanical name relationships do not authenticate a plant sold under one of those names.
- Kew cites Asklepios 102, page 13 (2008), as the first publication of the subspecies name. A bibliographic citation alone does not supply the original diagnostic characters.
What We Are Still Learning
What characters distinguish melanesica in its original description?
What would help: Lawful access to Forster and Liddle’s 2008 Asklepios account, including the description, illustrations, cited specimens and comparison with other australis subspecies.
Which cultivated melanesica plants have traceable accession histories?
What would help: Original labels, supplier and propagation records, accession or voucher identifiers, and leaf and flower photographs of the same plant. Keep locality and nursery labels with their original source.
Research and Sources
Help answer this profile’s questions
Can you help locate the original 2008 Asklepios description or document cultivated melanesica accessions? Please provide a lawful source link or bibliographic details, or original labels and traceable plant records. Contributions are reviewed before use.
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