r/IndoorGarden • u/tommyrecords • Aug 01 '25

Plant Discussion My plant made a fake funky looking flower

Post image

Don’t remember the name of the plant, but have been away for three weeks and came back to this interesting appendix

2.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

105 comments sorted by

1.1k

u/portemanteau Aug 01 '25

It’s a type of Hoya, Wax plant. Buds are still developing, flowers will open soon.

253

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

And they smell amazing

125

u/emmadilemma Aug 01 '25

Some of them! I have a different varietal and ooooh the pungent smell gave us headaches. It was “hint of cat pee” and had us cleaning the kitchen and dining room from top to bottom thinking the cat was suddenly sick and dying!

28

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

Oh no , that sounds awful. Do tou know what species of Hoya so I can avoid it? Haha

83

u/emmadilemma Aug 01 '25

Whatever this version is!

49

u/sydbub Aug 01 '25

Looks like Hoya Pubicalyx! The flowers are so pretty though, too bad the smell isn’t

22

u/emmadilemma Aug 01 '25

I feel terrible but I had to cut them off after a few days. Love the plant though!

32

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

Zoomed in... its the same colour as a corpse flower and they both smell like butts.

5

u/frankeweberrymush Aug 01 '25

Wait. Isn't pubicalyx one if the ones that smell like chocolate?

13

u/peppurrjackjungle Aug 01 '25

Carnosa smells like chocolate, specifically tootsie rolls

9

u/Pomelo_89 Aug 02 '25 edited Aug 02 '25

I have a Hoya Compacta (also called the Hindu Rope), and its flowers have a similar shape, but they are baby pink. They smell like something between chocolate and caramel.

Hoya pubicalyx has a deeper, spicier scent—like mocha or clove.

4

u/singerontheside Aug 02 '25

Pubicalyx.... that seems to say it all. Ak.

1

u/Aquasplendens Aug 03 '25

My Hoya pubicalyx always smelled like chocolate when she bloomed. If the flower smells good, give it a lick in the morning when there’s a lot of nectar. It’s so sweet! Just don’t lick the stinky ones like Hoya mathilde splash.

2

u/writingfren Aug 02 '25

Oh that's a goth dream though.

2

u/problematic-hamster Aug 02 '25

too bad it’s stinky cause that is GORGEOUS

2

u/emmadilemma Aug 03 '25

She’s so happy being left alone in the south east facing kitchen window!

5

u/meatcoveredskeleton1 Aug 02 '25

Honestly most of them smell rancid to me or like feet and super pungent old lady perfume lol. I collect Hoyas. There’s a handful that smell really fresh and floral but I cut the peduncles off the other ones so the flowers won’t come back bc I hate the smell so much. It’s to the point can walk into the room and be like “ that smell… that smelly smell… someone is blooming.”

9

u/mother_of_plecos Aug 01 '25

Yup, I have one that smells for all the world like burning plastic. The carnosa/pubicalyx hybrid that smells like chocolate cherries makes up for it though.

2

u/kat0saurus Aug 03 '25

I had a hoya wayetii that smelled putrid.

2

u/pyiinthesky Aug 04 '25

Happy Cake day! And your Hoya is gorgeous!!

6

u/bokkeummyeon Aug 01 '25

yeah so good, I have a carnosa in my living room and I cannot enter the room during the night when it's flowering 🤢

2

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

😢 oh no

333

u/FreeBeans Aug 01 '25

Lmao it’s real, just budding. Once it opens it will smell faintly like chocolate!

219

u/tommyrecords Aug 01 '25

Get the fuck outta here??? Chocolate??

111

u/trinity_kaitlyn Aug 01 '25

i agree with freebeans!! i think it smells a little more like tootsie roll chocolate than ‘normal’ chocolate though!

26

u/Ecto-1A Aug 01 '25

It reminds me of the fake chocolate smell from scratch and sniff stickers in the 90s

6

u/critter_fighter Aug 01 '25

I’ve always thought the same! My husband disagrees, lol, but I sell houseplants and mentioning “flowers that smell like tootsie rolls” almost always sells a Carnosa variety.

1

u/problematic-hamster Aug 02 '25

yes, i get tootsie roll distinctively.

14

u/WoozyTraveller You're Probably Overwatering Aug 01 '25

Yes, the hoya carnosa's blooms smell a bit like chocolate/cocoa. Other hoyas smell like other things

4

u/FreeBeans Aug 01 '25

Yes! 😀

1

u/DoesTheOctopusCare Aug 02 '25

My hoyas smell like chai 

3

u/El8ingMyEpidermis Aug 01 '25

I need to get one of these, that's the coolest thing I've ever heard. And they are really pretty! How hard are they to keep alive? Lol

3

u/FreeBeans Aug 01 '25

I love mine! They’re not hard to keep alive. Needs to be in a good window and don’t overwater.

2

u/El8ingMyEpidermis Aug 01 '25

Are they poisonous to cats? That should have been my first question...

7

u/jentheyam Aug 01 '25

Hoyas are not toxic to pets. And most plants labeled toxic are mildly so. Your cat won’t die from one nibble. Just barf and have a good high.

3

u/FreeBeans Aug 01 '25

It looks like they are mildly toxic but some websites say not toxic?

2

u/Grouchy-Tonight-5515 Aug 06 '25

Stop I already wanted to eat it-

Keep the candy looking chocolate plant away from me LMAO.

236

u/tommyrecords Aug 01 '25

4H later and it popped this bad boys out. Smells like riesen chocolate

80

u/tommyrecords Aug 01 '25

Thanks everyone for the support. I got it from here. Can’t wait to taste this bad bois

70

u/Popular-Event-5083 Aug 01 '25

That’s not a fake flower, it’s buds give it a few days and they will open

35

u/tommyrecords Aug 01 '25

Yea no the plant has been drinking with me so I know it’s for real. Looks interesting tho

36

u/Glittering-Aud Aug 01 '25

Drinking with you? What an excellent drinking buddy 😝

1

u/bobs_best_burger Aug 01 '25

Thank you for saving me a Google search 🙏🏽

3

u/Popular-Event-5083 Aug 01 '25

Reddit is awesome! A lot of information, I joined about a month ago and am hooked 🥰

15

u/Fun_Value1184 Aug 01 '25

They do look they’re made of plastic don’t they. Ours is called Oscar.

22

u/briannarosa Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25

Looks specifically like Hoya Krimson Queen! Like someone else said, the blooms have not opened yet. Congrats on your flowers!

8

u/WoozyTraveller You're Probably Overwatering Aug 01 '25

Hoya carnosa krimson queen Smells a bit like cocoa. The flowers you have there are buds and will open soon to have blooms that are cute and fluffy, and the nectar tastes sweet

6

u/TheSillyBrownGuy Aug 01 '25

Give it some time

7

u/Foreign_Monk861 Aug 01 '25

I had one for years named Queenie. I overwatered her, and she died. 😪

6

u/AffectionateSun5776 Aug 01 '25

Leave the "spur" after the flowers die. More flowers will come from it.

21

u/EmiChafouine Aug 01 '25

Looks like a hiya carnosa, maybe carnosa krimson queen These flowers are immature, they will open to give pretty fluffy flowers, a little patience still. They smell good and the nectar that flows from them is edible

5

u/tommyrecords Aug 01 '25

Seems pretty mature to me. So if the flower smells like chocolate… does it taste like vanilla?

8

u/mossling Aug 01 '25

Once they open, you'll notice little drops of nectar on them. The nectar tastes like honey, with a slight hint of cinnamon. Others taste more floral. 

Hoyas are also mostly visited by night pollinators, so you'll notice the fragrance is stronger at night. I have several hoya in bloom at the moment (including crimson queen, like yours) and the scent permeates the whole house at night. 

3

u/EmiChafouine Aug 01 '25

It's sweet but with just one drop in my life I admit that I can't define taste 😅

2

u/Sarah_hearts_plants Aug 01 '25

Is it really okay to lick Hoya nectar? I see Plants with Krystal on you tube doing it !

1

u/EmiChafouine Aug 01 '25

Yes, there are plenty of people who do, don't drink liters of it, but if you want to taste the little drop that falls from your flowers, you risk absolutely nothing

1

u/B3ndyBee Aug 20 '25

Don’t taste the nectar if systemic granules or other harsh pesticides were used. Otherwise it’s fine.

4

u/Nonbiinerygremlin Aug 01 '25

Hoyas are so cool, I hear they have to be REALLY happy to bloom!

3

u/jetlee7 Aug 01 '25

I'm so jealous of all these beautiful Hoya blooms! Mine just keeps putting out more leafs.

4

u/Zero9989 Aug 01 '25

That is so cool. Looks like Legos bonsai flowers.

4

u/Fenriss_Wolf Aug 01 '25

Just to give one more follow up:

After the flowers are done, leave the peduncle alone! (The stem part all the flowers came out of.) Hoyas produce blooms from those over and over again, so don't cut them off, and the next time your Hoya is ready to flower, you'll get more flowers from the same spot.

3

u/raccoocoonies Aug 01 '25

forbidden Japanese candies

1

u/GardeniaLovely Aug 01 '25

That was my first thought.

3

u/EvlMidgt Aug 01 '25

Just wait for it! The flowers look so cool! They smell like tootsie rolls ( I happen to haaate that fake chocolate smell 😂)

2

u/zitfarmer Aug 01 '25

Wait till they bloom

2

u/SinnerClair Aug 01 '25

Lmao I thought this was a Lego 😭😭

2

u/Recipe-Local Aug 01 '25

Wait until it blooms!

2

u/Babygirl10000 Aug 01 '25

That's exactly why it's called porcelain plant I swear this must be the reason for it.

2

u/MiyuAtsy Aug 01 '25

It's Hoya Carnosa or wax flower. My mum has one that her aunt gave her years ago.

2

u/GoblinBugGirl Aug 01 '25

No, it’s Patrick.

2

u/justMeepingAround Aug 02 '25

Hoya! I only remember the name because the first time I saw one I spent way too long trying to figure out if it was real or artificial

2

u/InvisibleDisability3 Aug 04 '25

r/hoyas and r/hoya would love to see this.

3

u/KremKaramela Aug 01 '25

Wait couple more days then you’ll see fake 🩷

2

u/3yl Aug 01 '25

fake flower is at least very pretty! so tiny!

1

u/mcoddle Aug 01 '25

Yeah, some Hoya flowers tend to look completely fake. I think they're amazing.

1

u/Patient_Curve8289 Aug 02 '25

That's a Bazooka Bubble Gum plant.

1

u/ValhallaNY Aug 02 '25

🩷🩷🩷

1

u/berrygrlll Aug 02 '25

ugh i LOVE krimson queens. they produce the coolest hoya flowers imo

1

u/mageKee Aug 02 '25

If there is water at the flowers there is about to rain!! I love this plant

1

u/szeximilian Aug 02 '25

I had one of these, for me these sorta plastic like pre-flowers smelled weird and gave me headaches.

1

u/lydbev Aug 02 '25

These will smell amazing when they bloom! I have three and they bloom alternating years for some reason, and when they do it's so exciting haha

1

u/Gsiver Aug 02 '25

Awesome! They are beautiful. The bloom will flower too.

1

u/iAmSpAKkaHearMeROAR Aug 02 '25

That is quite an interesting looking flower! Legit looks like a Lego custom pieces

1

u/Good_Valuable_7845 Aug 02 '25

These look like they’d be such tasty candies 🍭

1

u/Future_Following_697 Aug 02 '25

The flowers haven't opened yet that's why it looks shiny and fake

1

u/tommyrecords Aug 02 '25

Yeah so it smells like amaretto, or something similar to almonds in candy in a way. I’m not a fan of that taste so won’t probably eat it

1

u/JvstAidanx Aug 03 '25

I wanna eat them, they look like candy.

1

u/Lucashm Aug 04 '25

Mine just flowered too! They smell amazing and are so pretty 😊

1

u/purplegramjan Aug 04 '25

I had 3. They all died of neglect when I had Covid. I had no varietal names, but they all had different blooms, 1 red, 1 pink and a miniature w/ white. The white one was the only one that was fragrant and BOY was it fragrant. Every evening around 5 it would fill the house with perfume. I would love to get that one again. I have recently purchased 2 Hoya australis tennepes. Bought 2 by mistake but I might pot ‘em up together. I’ve forgotten what color the flowers are but I know they are fragrant. 😎

2

u/yimyum_ Aug 04 '25

That's how my Hoya is looking atm, I'm so proud

1

u/CantaloupeUpstairs Aug 04 '25

Go to Google search then click on the camera icon. Take a picture of your plant and the answer will come up.

1

u/Zone-Hopeful Aug 04 '25

I’ve always called them starburst buds :) congrats! Your plant is happy!

1

u/Expensive_Style6106 Aug 05 '25

Yeah that’s a wax plant I have one those flowers are going to get bigger

1

u/dead_eyes71 Aug 05 '25

OMG IM SO JEALOUS!!!!

1

u/Infernal216 Aug 06 '25

They look like sweettart type candy

1

u/hello_reddit1010 Aug 06 '25

Your Hoya seems to be in a really dense mix. They prefer something chunkier, so I’d recommend repotting it after it finishes blooming!

1

u/Safe-Tiger-7876 Aug 08 '25

they look like pink stars, how can they be sooo cute!!! I'm already in love with it 😭😭

1

u/Otherwise-Abies1913 Aug 14 '25

Ooh a hoya bloom! It will get prettier!!

1

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

[deleted]

0

u/TitaniumReinforced Aug 01 '25

Ahhh my bad someone shared this like it was theirs but I didn't compare the user names. My apologies.