By Dhel Nazario A new subspecies of the Hoya plant, a favorite among many flower enthusiasts especially in Asia has been discovered by botanists from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Hoya meliflua subsp. escobinae Kloppenb. Conda, Buot, & Pitargue. (PHOTO COURTESY OF DOST / MANILA BULLETIN) Jennifer Conda, Fernando Pitargue Jr. and Dr. Ramiro Escobin from the DOST-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) discovered the "Hoya meliflua Merr. subsp. escobinae Kloppenb. Conda, Buot & Pitargue" which was added to the International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Although there is already a great variety of officially recognized Hoya plants, this new subspecies was unearthed by Conda's team. “Of the 109 Hoya species recorded in the country, 39 species and 3 subspecies are found in Quezon province. It is no wonder that another subspecies was uncovered in the same area,” Conda explained. According to her, their team collected cuttings of the plant from the Quezon Protected Landscape in 2012. Immediately after the first flowers bloomed, they sent samples for examination to Dr. Dale Kloppenburg, a renowned Hoya expert from the United States. "He then confirmed that it was a new subspecies, which showed several similarities with Hoya meliflua Blanco ex Merr. but with some notable differences. Results were published in Hoya New, a publication devoted to studies about Hoya, and listed in the IPNI,” she added. Conda explained that the calyx lobes (sepals) of the new subspecies are tongue-like and long, as compared to the broadly oval to oblong of the "Hoya meliflua Blanco ex Merr". Its corolla lobes (petals), meanwhile, are elongated and have serrated edge, in contrast to the latter’s broadly triangular lobes. Also called wax plant, wax vine, wax flower or shooting star, Hoya is an Asian native plant that usually creeps or climbs. It has thick, waxy leaves and a cluster of flowers that holds up to 40 individual flowers firmly packed together.