Plant library / Succulents & cacti
Sweetheart Hoya
Hoya kerrii
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
The single heart-shaped leaf sold at Valentine's is usually a rooted cutting with no growing point, so it stays one leaf. A full plant with a vine will trail for years.
Toxicity
Safe
Not known to be toxic to cats.
Safe
Not known to be toxic to dogs.
Source — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, toxic and non-toxic plant list; read from this species' own page
Pet-safety information is a general guide from the ASPCA's toxic-plant database and covers cats and dogs only. "If eaten" summarises the symptoms ASPCA lists for that plant; how an animal actually reacts depends on how much it ate and on the animal. It isn't exhaustive, isn't veterinary advice, and individual animals vary — never rely on it as the sole basis for a decision about your pet. If you think your pet has eaten a harmful plant, contact a vet immediately.
Care
- WaterEvery 14–21 days
- LightBright, indirect
- HumidityLow humidity
- Temperature18–27 °C
The same interval the Sabz app schedules reminders from. In autumn and winter the app stretches it; see houseplants in autumn.
Common problems
Hoya single leaf not growing
A single heart-shaped leaf in a pot that never does anything is normal and permanent: it was rooted from a leaf without a node, and it has no growing point. It will live for years as a leaf. For a vine, you need a cutting with at least one node on the stem.
Hoya leaf shrivelled
A shrivelling, softening leaf is thirst — though a hoya stores a lot, so it takes a long dry spell to get there. Soak the pot thoroughly, let it drain, and it plumps up within a week or two. Water every two to three weeks in summer, less in winter.
Hoya base black and mushy
A black, mushy base is overwatering and rot, the one thing that kills a hoya. Stop watering, cut away anything soft, and let it dry before repotting into gritty compost. Healthy stem with a node roots easily in water or damp compost.
Similar plants
- Burro's Tail safeSedum morganianum
- Haworthia safeHaworthia fasciata
- Kalanchoe toxicKalanchoe blossfeldiana
- Panda Plant toxicKalanchoe tomentosa
In the app
Add a sweetheart hoya to Sabz and the watering interval above becomes a reminder, the toxicity verdict sits on the plant's own page, and when a leaf turns, the Check-up reads what you have actually logged to say why.
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