Finding it difficult to tell the difference between Hoya Krimson Queen and Princess? This article is all about Hoya Krimson Queen vs Princess.
Passionate house plants growers have one thing in common: they are proud that they can identify and name every single plant without batting an eyelid. But dig a little deeper and you’d find that they once struggled to tell the difference between plants like Hoya Krimson Princess and Hoya Krimson Queen.
This brings us nicely to this article’s primary focus: untangling the Hoya Krimson Queen vs Princess conundrum. The confusion exists in the first place not just because both plants have somewhat similar names, but also because they are similar in appearance. For many, the little subtle differences aren’t significant enough to classify them as different plants.
In this article, we’d walk you through how to spot the signs that are unique to each plant; and of course, the clear and some not so obvious similarities that birthed the difficulty of easily telling them apart.
Hoya Krimson Queen Vs Princess
The major difference is in the leaf variegation. If it’s white on the outside, that’s the Hoya Krimson Queen, if it’s white on the inside, that is the Hoya Krimson princess.
Both the Hoya Krimson Queen (also known as Hoya Carnosa Albomarginata, Hoya Carnosa Krimson Queen, and Hoya Carnosa Tricolor) and the Hoya Krimson Princess (also known as Hoya Carnosa Rubra) are just two species of the Hoya Carnosa plant family. Native to parts of Asia and Australia, they have been used by humans as ornamental flowers for over two centuries.
A Hoya Krimson Queen vs Princess comparison is as much about the differences as the similarities between both plants. While there are several differences setting each one apart as an independent Hoya cultivar, they also have so many similarities.
Let’s get started by looking at the qualities common to both plants.
Similarities: Hoya Krimson Princess Vs Hoya Krimson Queen
The major similarity between the two is the fact that they belong to the same plant genus, Hoya Krimson. Both plants are just two of the many sub-species of the Hoya Krimson family that share many other similarities linked to their growing conditions.
These growing conditions include:
Soil requirement
Both Krimson Princess and Krimson Queen thrive best in soil that drains well. When growing them in pots, they’d be happier in a very high-quality potting mix that is light or not dense. The soil should contain a mixture of perlite for adequate drainage and peat moss to aid soil moisture retention in a 1:2 ratio.
And still on soil drainage, if the plants are grown in pots, ensure that each pot has adequate drainage holes. If not, simply drill additional holes at the bottom.
Ficus Elastica Propagation Using Soil Or Water. [Rubber Plant/Rubber Tree]
Humidity and Temperature
All the plants in the Hoya family thrive in tropical conditions. A humidity level of about 75% (give or take 5%) gives them the best chance of flourishing combined with a temperature range of between 65 – 90°F.
Sunlight
Like most ornamental indoor plants, both the Hoya Princess and Queen love indirect light and would turn out well in well-lit rooms close to windows that get adequate direct sunlight.
But if you can’t recreate this condition indoors, a shaded part of the house outdoors would be okay as long they are not exposed to direct sunlight for too long.
Leaves growth pattern
Apart from the similar leaf shapes, another similarity can be found in the growth pattern of both leaves.
Both plants shoot out tiny tendrils before growing new leaves. And when the new leaves come out, they are pinkish in color. Over time, the pink color fades leaving the plants with their default mature leaves.
Flowering
If you got either the Krimson Princes or Krimson Queen because the flowers are adorable, you might be disappointed because it takes time for the flowers to bloom.
That said, when they bloom in a couple of years or three, both flowers look very similar; this is also one of the major reasons for the confusion in identification.
How To Care For Zinnias in Pots [Keeping them blooming]
Pot-bound
Both plants are generally considered potbound. Essentially, there is a tendency towards plant stress when they are repotted. So repotting them often is a bad idea.
However, given enough time and barring diseases, they would outgrow the pot or the soil might become too tired to sustain them making repotting necessary. This tends to happen in about 3 years depending on the growing conditions.
When repotting becomes unavoidable, ensure you use the same type of soil in a pot that is about a size larger than the previous one.
Can I Plant a Potted Calla Lily Outside?
Differences: Hoya Krimson Princess Vs Queen
The major differences are mostly physical; linked to the leaves, stems, and the growth rate of both plants. There are also slight variations in some of the growing conditions.
Growth rate
The Crimson Queen are prolific growers compared to the Crimson Princess. The higher growth rate means they tend to overwhelm their container with hanging leaves all over the place.
Generally, you’d spent more time pruning the Krimson Queen than the Princess. This makes the Queen dream plant when it comes to propagation because you’d have more than enough material to birth new plants in a shorter time compared to Crimson princess.
That said, if you don’t like your Hoya Crimson Queen hanging down the container, you could add a simple flexible wire trellis and train the plant to grow up. And if your creative juices are on hyperdrive, you could even design to trellis into any cool shape so your Crimson Queen grows in or around the trellis.
The likely explanation for the difference in growth rate might be due to the chlorophyll concentrating in the respective leaves. The Krimson Princess, with its cream variegation taking a large part of the center of each leaf, has less chlorophyll (green portion of the leave).
How Long Does It Take for Saguaro Cactus to Grow?
Leaves
The first place to begin when checking out the differences between Hoya Krimson Queen and Hoya Krimson Princess is in the leaves. The leaves of both plants are so different that one can’t be mistaken for the other.
The leaves of the Princess are variegated with green outer edges surrounding the off-white or cream-colored center. On the other hand, the Krimson Queen is not technically variegated. Most leaves come with two prominent colors, a white or creamy-white fringe on the edges of the leaves surrounding the darker green interior.
Younger leaves of the Krimson Queen include a third color (hence the name Hoya Krimson Tricolor)- a bit of pink around the center veins.
Some of the leaves of Krimson Queen though are completely devoid of any green color. They are completely white or creamy. So one quick way to identify a Hoya Carnosa Tricolor is the presence of completely white or creamy leaves.
The leaves of the Princess are much thicker and more polished than the Queen’s leaves. And because Queen’s leaves are thinner, the plant needs a little bit more water because the thinner leaves lose water faster or cannot hold as much water as the Princess’ leaves. Folks with both plants notice they can have to water the Queen more often relative to Princess.
Why Is My Calathea Ornata Leaves Curling? [Solutions and Prevention]
Stem
Another significant distinction between the two can be found in the color of the stems. The Hoya Krimson Princess are famous for their pinkish (some would call it reddish) stems. On the other hand, the stems of the Hoya Krimson Queen plants are darker tending towards brownish or greenish.
Flowers
Using the flowers to differentiate between the Krimson Princess and Krimson Queen might be tricky because they hardly bloom especially when grown indoors.
Given the right set of circumstances, especially for outdoors-grown Hoya Krimson exposed to just the right amount of sunlight combined with rich soil, one could get lucky.
But you’d have to look carefully to spot the differences in the flowers. It basically comes down to the center of newly blooming flowers with the Krimson Princes spotting a reddish (or darker) streak as against the pinkish (or lighter) center streak found on the flowers of the Krimson Queen.
Why is My Redbud Tree Not Blooming?
Growing conditions
While the best growing conditions for both plants are very similar, there are differences to keep in mind to get the best when growing them.
As discussed earlier, the Hoya Carnosa Queen needs more water due to the thinner leaves; while the Princess, with their thicker leaves, get to retain much water for longer.
Basically, given similar external conditions, you’d water the Princess once every 2 weeks or less while the watering frequency is about twice over the same period when the soil is dry.
That said, both plants don’t really need much water. Depending on the conditions, you might have to water just once every 1-2 weeks. But the Krimson Queen’s soil would dry faster and hence, the issue of watering it earlier (by a few days at least).
Other notable differences in the optimal growing conditions include:
- Light – The Krimson Princess prefers longer exposure to indirect sunlight compared to the Krimson Queen. This is mainly due to the chlorophyll density in the leaves. With less chlorophyll in the Princess’ leaves, photosynthesis is comparatively slower so they’ll need longer exposure to light to process the required energy.
- Fertilizing – With very good growth substrate like compost, it is unlikely the plants would need additional nutrients to thrive. If you have to though, it is recommended that you stick to organic fertilizers for the Hoya Queen and highly diluted (up to 50%) regular fertilizers for the Krimson Princess in the growing season only.
How to Propagate Begonia Maculata
Wrapping up
The Hoya Krimson Queen and the Princess both belong to the same Hoya family. This accounts for the similarities between them in terms of appearance and growing conditions.
While it can be hard to tell the Hoya Krimson Princess and the Hoya Krimson Queen apart, there are some clear differences. These can be found mostly in the different leaf variegations, stem color, growth rate, and thickness of the leaves.
