Hoya griffithii Hooker 1883
Type description:
In Flora of British India 4 (1883) 59 J. D. Hooker. 28. H. griffithii, Hook f.; glabrous, leaves 6-9 in. narrowly oblanceolate or linear-oblong acute or acuminate very thick, nerves nearly horizontal, peduncle long stout, sepals large coriaceous, corolla 1½ in. diam. glabrous within.
Khasia Mts., Griffith; Nowgong, alt. 2-4000 ft. J. D. H. & T. T.
A stout climber. Leaves distant, 1‑2 in. diam., midrib stout, nerves quite obscure in some, in others distinct and forming large areoles; petiole ½ - 1 in.. very thick. Peduncle 2-4 in., as thick as the branch; pedicles 1-1 ½ in., very stout. Sepals ½- 1/3 in., oblong, obtuse, coriaceous, Corolla purple ? g1abrous within, 1obes acute. Coronal-processes produced upwards from a suborbicular base into an erect stiff obtuse spur as long as the anther‑tip, the orbicular base is 2‑lmellate below.— In the large calyx this approaches H. coronaria. It has been flowered at Fallowfield (Manchester) by Mr. Swan.
Other literature:
In The Gardener’s Chronicle (1885) 334. N. E. Brown. Hoya Griffithii, Hook. f.*
This very fine species was sent to me (through the Editor of the Gardeners’ Chronicle), in July, 1879. by Mr. W. Swan, of Fallowfield, Manchester, for a name. At that time it was undescribed, and it was intended to figure it in these columns, but a good specimen was not forthcoming, and now a specimen has been again received from the same source, and will be figured in the Botanical Magazine; but the plate may not appear for some time, I take the opportunity of calling attention to it here, as it is one of the finest species in the genus. It is a native of Khasia, in Northeastern India, where it was originally discovered by Griffith, and afterwards collected there at an attitude of 2000 feet, by Sir Joseph Hooker. Concerning this plant in cultivation, Mr. Swan, writing in 1879, states that it was sent with a quantity of Orchids, &c., about three years ago, to Mr. Leach, from " Northern India."
Hoya Griffithii is a large climbing species, with oblong leaves 3 ½ —6 inches long, ¾—1 ¼ inch broad, narrowed to an acuminate apex and an acute base, glabrous, as is the entire plant, bright green above, paler beneath. peduncle stout, 2 inches long; pedicels 1 ½ inch long, stout. Calyx segments spreading, green, ½ inch long, 2—2 ½ lines broad, oblong obtuse, concave from the margins, being strongly incurved. Corolla when expanded about 1 ½ inch in diameter, pale reddish outside, cream colour, tinted with the same reddish hue inside, the lobes are broadly ovate, acute. Corona waxy-white, the segments elliptic in outline as seen from above, with ascending subulate apices, the sides are perpendicular with the upper edge overhanging at the back, and beneath at the base they have A- shaped notch.
This species is at once well distinguished by its unusually large calyx segments. The rather delicate red tint of the corolla is somewhat difficult to describe intelligibly, but perhaps the nearest well known colour-tint is that of red blotting-paper diluted. N. E. Brown. * Hoya Griffithii, Hook. f. in Hook Florae Indica, vol., iv.
In Botanical Magazine (Curtis’s) (1886) 6877. J. D. Hooker. Hoya (Euhoya) Griffithii; frutex glaberrimus, scandens, ramis elongatis flexuosis teretibus, foliis 9-9‑pollicaribus per paria distantibus breviter petiolatibus oblongo-lanceolatis oblanceolatisve acutis acuminatisve crasse coriaceis, costa crassiuscula, nervis tenuissimis patentibus obscuris, pedunculis axillaribus crassis elongatis, umbellis multifloris, pedicellis pollicaribus crassis, floribus 1— l 1/4 poll. diam., sepalis lineari‑oblongis obtusis crassis, corolla, sordide roseae lobis crassis triangulari-ovatis dorso concavis intus glabris, coronae processubus magnis ambitu hemisphericis faciebus planis in spinas obtusas stigma superantes productis.
H. griffithii Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vol. iv. p. 59; N. E. Brown in Gard. Chron. 1885 vol. ii. p. 334, fig. 74
This noble species of Hoya was discovered by the indefatigable Indian botanist and collector, Dr. W. Griffith, in the Khasia Mountains of Eastern Bengal, between Assam and Silhet, upwards of half a century ago; and it was; again gathered there by Dr. Thomson and myself in 1860 near Nowgong, at an elevation between 2000 and 4000 feet above the sea. It is a near ally of the still nobler H. imperialis, Lindl., of Malacca, figured at Tab. 4397 of this work. A still nearer ally is the beautiful H. coronaria, Blume, a hitherto unfigured species of Malacca and Penang, which has pubescent leaves and flowers. Flowering specimens of H. Griffithii were sent to Kew by Mr. Swan, of Oakley, Fallowfield, near Manchester, in July but with the information that the plant had been at Oakley about ten years. Mr. Swan states that it came from Northern India, and was originally sent to hits employer, W. Leach, Esq. It is, of course, a stove plant, and as such well worthy of cultivation.
Descr, A tall quite glabrous climber. Stem slender, terete flexuous. Leaves in distant pairs, four to ten inches long very shortly petioled, elliptic‑ or oblong‑lanceolato. or oblanceolate, acute or acuminate, thickly coriaceous bright green above, paler beneath; midrib rather stout nerves slender, very obscure, horizontally spreading and loosely anastomosing; petiole stout, one‑sixth to one third of an inch long. Flowers one to one: and a half inch in diameter, numerous, umbelled on a stout axiallary peduncle two to three inches long; pedicels long, stout, one to one and a half inches long. Sepals much larger in proportion to the corolla than usual in the genus, oblong, obtuse thickly coriaceous. Corolla quite glabrous, pale rather dull rose‑red (the colour of blotting‑paper externally with yellowish edges; paler and yellowish within, with three faint pink stripes on each segment. Segments triangular acute, thickly coriaceous. concave behind. Corona large with five hemispheric lobes; these lobes have the convex surface downwards and longitudinally cleft. the flat surface upwards and producing inwards a short ascending spine which reaches and rises above the stigma. J. D. H.
Translation: a glabrous shrub, climbing, stems elongated flexible round, leaves 6 to 9 inches between the pairs briefly petiolate oblong-lanceolate oblanceolate acute acuminate thickly leathery, midrib thick, nerves very thin spreading obscure, peduncles axillary thick elongate, many-flowered umbels, many times thicker than the pedicles, flowers 1 to 1 ¼ inches in diameter, sepals linear-oblong obtuse thick, lobes of the corolla a dusty rose lobes thick triangular-ovate on the back concave inside glabrous, with the coronal processes large outline hemispherical general appearance flat with spines obtuse overtopping the stigma.
In The Dictionary of Gardening Century Edition (1901) 430. G. Nicholson. H. Griffithii (Dr. W. Griffith’s).* fl. externally pale and rather dull rose red, with yellowish edges, paler and yellowish with three faint stripes on each segment, 1 in. to 1 ½ in. long. July. l. in distant pairs, 4in. to 10in. long, very shortly petiolate, elliptic or oblong-lanceolato or oblanceolate. Stem flexuous, climbing. Eastern Bengal, 1885. (B. M. 6877.) A fine species.
In The Royal Horticulture Society Dictionary of Gardening (1965) 1016. (1st Ed. 1951). H. griffithii. Stem climbing, flexuose. l. distant, elliptic to oblanceolate, 4 to 10 in. long; stalk very short. fl. dull rose-red with yellowish edges without, paler and yellowish within with 3 faint pink stripes on each seg., 1 to 1 ½ in. long. July. E. Bengal. 1875. (B.M. 6877.)
In The New Royal Horticulture Society Dictionary of Gardening 2 (1992) 596-597. H. griffithii Hook. f. Climber, stems twining. Lvs. 10-25cm. short-petiolate, oblanceolate to elliptic. Umbels many-fld; peduncles stout 2.5- 4.5cm; fls. 2.5-4cm.; cor. lobes dark rose-red. with faint pink stripes; corona waxy-white. Summer, NE India to China Z9.