Hoya carnosa

Wax Plant, Honey Plant, Porcelainflower

Message of the Flower

Power of Collective Aspiration

The Mother’s Comment

A harmonious collective aspiration can change the course of circumstances.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

There is no deep meaning of aspiration—the meaning is plain. It is the call of the being for higher things—for the Divine, for all that belongs to the higher or Divine Consciousness.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - II: Aspiration

This taste for supreme adventure is aspiration–an aspiration which takes hold of you completely and flings you, without calculation and without reserve and without a possibility of withdrawal, into the great adventure of the divine discovery, the great adventure of the divine meeting, the yet greater adventure of the divine Realisation.

The Mother, Questions and Answers 1956: 25 January 1956

Aspiration is like an arrow, like this (gesture). So you aspire, want very earnestly to understand, know, enter into the truth. Yes? And then with that aspiration you do this (gesture). Your aspiration rises, rises, rises, rises straight up, very strong and then it strikes against a kind of… how to put it?… lid which is there, hard like iron and extremely thick, and it does not pass through. And then you say, "See, what's the use of aspiring? It brings nothing at all. I meet with something hard and cannot pass!" But you know about the drop of water which falls on the rock, it ends up by making a chasm: it cuts the rock from top to bottom. Your aspiration is a drop of water which, instead of falling, rises. So, by dint of rising, it beats, beats, beats, and one day it makes a hole, by dint of rising; and when it makes the hole suddenly it springs out from this lid and enters an immensity of light, and you say, "Ah, now I understand."

The Mother, Questions and Answers 1955: 13 July 1955

Colour

Pale pink, white, red

Family

Asclepiadaceae

Cultivars

Krimson Queen', 'Krimson Princess', 'Krinkle Kurl', 'Variegata'

Flower Size

Small, up to a few inches across

Flower Texture

Waxy and slightly hairy

Number of Petals

Typically 5

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Sweet, pheromonal scent noticeable at night

Leaf Texture

Leathery and waxy

Leaf Arrangement

Opposite

Leaf Color

Green, often with variegation

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Vine/climber

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Spring to late summer

Climate

Prefers warm, humid environments

Water Requirements

Moderate, prefers well-draining soil

Soil Type

Well-draining, enriched with organic matter

Temperature Ranges

Optimal between 60–85F (16–29C)

Sun or Shade

Prefers indirect bright light but can tolerate lower light levels

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Susceptible to mealybugs, fungus gnats, spider mites

Pollinators

Attracts small insects, particularly at night

Habitat

Epiphyte in humid subtropical forests

Role in the Ecosystem

Provides nectar for various small insects

Quotations

Not specified

Ornamental

Mainly ornamental, used in indoor gardening