Miniature Wax Plant
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Beautiful Hoya, Beautiful Wax Plant, Pretty Waxflower and Waxflower.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Hoya lanceolata bella, Hoya lanceolata subsp. bella. Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- The semi-succulent leaves hold some water, so they need watering less often than other houseplants. Let the soil get nearly dry before watering.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Give bright filtered light and moderate to fairly high humidity; water generously in the growing season and keep just moist over winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Take stem cuttings in spring or summer.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase by layering or from semi-hardwood cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- If needed, trim lightly to keep the shape and remove dead leaves.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Mealybugs can occur. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Hoya bella, the beautiful hoya, waxflower or pretty waxflower, is a species of tropical epiphyte with trailing stems, slightly succulent leaves and pendant umbels of fragrant, white and purple flowers. It is an asclepiad in the periwinkle and milkweed family, Apocynaceae.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Assam to MyanmarWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Assam to MyanmarNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026India, MyanmarRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- epiphytic subshrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Epiphyte, Perennial, Vine; habit cascading, climbing, creepingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy, Trailing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–24 in; width 12–24 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, purple/lavender, white; blooms in summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in summer; pink in summer; purple in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
Other Hoya
HoyaDry scorched spots after a move into a sunnier spot
Common HoyaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetFung Wax FlowerSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetHoya gracilisSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Lucky Heart PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Pink SilverSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
More of the Apocynaceae family
Madagascar periwinkleBrown, papery patches on the leaves nearest the glass
OleanderBrown brittle margins with a green centre
String of heartsNew leaves arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
African Starfish FlowerSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
AllamandaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Black BellsSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
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Anthurium warocqueanumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Blushing PhilodendronSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
BullbriarSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Cat's ClawSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Centipede TongavineSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.