Hoya Krimson Queen vs Princess: Understanding the Differences

If you are searching for a low-care flowering indoor plant that looks beautiful, then Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess plants are the perfect choice as both are mostly suggested by plant lovers because they are easy to maintain and look beautiful. They enhance the look of your home.

But, selecting one of them might make you confused. If you too have the same confusion as my best friend who recently was asking me, then don’t worry as this article will help you to get out of it. 

Both plants belong to the Hoya Carnosa species of the Hoya genus. These plants may look similar and have the same growth requirements, but some aspects differentiate the both and those differences can help you make your decision. In this article, we will be discussing the differences between them in detail!

About Hoya Krimson Queen!

About Hoya Krimson Queen!

The Hoya Krimson Queen is a variegated plant, whose foliage is dark green with creamy white borders that grabs the attention of the people around it. This is a subspecies of the Hoya Carnosa of the Hoya genus, which belongs to the Apocynaceae family. This plant originated in the South-east parts of the Asian continent. These are commonly found in Indonesia, Polynesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, China, New Guinea, India, Bangladesh, and also in some regions of Australia. 

These plants have toxic characteristics. So, ingestion of the parts of the plant should be avoided. This wax plant is a fast-growing plant, so be attentive to its needs and encourage its growth. The care you provide to it reflects in its growth and blooming.

About Hoya Krimson Princess!

About Hoya Krimson Princess!

The Hoya Krimson Princess is a beautiful plant whose elegant look steals the heart of every plant lover, belongs to the Hoya carnosa species of the Hoya genus, which is a member of the Apocynaceae family. This plant is considered the reverse variegated plant, which has creamy white leaves with bright green borders. These plants produce flowers in clusters that emit a chocolate smell. Even this is also a native to the southeast part of Asia. You can find them in all the places that I’ve mentioned in the above paragraph. But, you can find the difference in their look, if you observe clearly. These are also toxic, so avoid consuming them.

Hoya Krimson Queen vs Krimson Princess: The Differences!

Although they look similar and belong to the same species of the Hoya plants, there are some differences between them. The following are the aspects that differentiate both plants. Let me explain to you in detail!

1. Classification of Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

The Hoya Krimson queen and the Hoya Krimson princess are different in their classifications. They have many differences which cannot be observed with just a glance. Only the plant growers know them. Their foliage, flowering, and growth requirements are different thus they are classified as different subspecies of the Hoya Carnosa. Thus they are botanically named differently. The Hoya Krimson queen is called the Hoya carnosa Rubra and the hoya krimson princess is called Hoya carnosa albomarginata.

2. The difference in their look!

If you observe these two plants clearly, you can find many differences in their look. But, many misunderstand that they are the same because of their waxy outlook. They differ in color, structure, and blooming. I will now discuss the difference in their look!

The difference in their look!

Color differences of Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

The Hoya Krimson Queen plants have dark green colored foliage and the stems have a light brown color. The leaves of this plant are dark green at their centers and have creamy white borders. The foliage of this plant is darker when compared with the Hoya Krimson Princess.

While the Hoya Krimson Princess plants have bright pink colored stems, which adds beauty to the plant. This says that the plant is getting enough sunlight. 

The foliage of this plant has creamy white color at its center and bright green color at the edges. Some of these plants have a baby pink color at the center, which makes the plant more beautiful. This plant looks a bit lighter in color. This difference we often ignore at a glance. But, it can be easily noticed if we see the plants properly.

Structure difference between Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

Structure difference between Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

Both these similar subspecies of the Hoya carnosa differ in their structures and heights.

The Hoya Krimson queen plants have thin leaves which are heart-shaped. The mature leaves of this plant are 5m in size and have a smooth texture. The dark green colored stems of this plant have extended internodes. These plants when grown wild can achieve a height of up to 25 feet, but the indoor hoya queens have only 4-5 feet heights.

On the other hand, Hoya Krimson princess plants have thick leaves(when compared with krimson queen hoya) that are oval-shaped. The foliage can be grown up to 3-4 cm in size. These waxy leaves have a smooth texture and are softer than the leaves of the hoya krimson queen. You can observe 16 to 18 feet tall hoya krimson princess plants in the wild but it achieves only a 3-4 feet height when planted in pots as an indoor plant.

Both of them are vining plants so, they adapt to the shape of the support if you provide any.

3. The difference in blooming of Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

We know that indoor plants rarely bloom as they do not get enough sunlight and the limited amount of soil in the pot may not provide enough micronutrients to support the blooming. However, being the flowering species of the Hoya genus both the plant’s flower (if you provide enough care) beautifully. Although the flowers of the Hoya krimson Queen and the Hoya Krimson Princess look similar, they slightly differ in their color. Queen plants have pink color at the center of the flower and the princess flowers have bright red centers. You can find this difference easily in close observation.

4. The difference in their growth!

The difference in their growth!

These beautiful plants differ in their growth rate, although they belong to the same species of the Hoya. It is due to the foliage color. It is a known fact that growth depends on the light absorbed by the plant. Thus, plants that absorb more light grow faster.

The Hoya Krimson Queen plants have dark green colored leaves with cream-colored borders. Here the green domination on the leaf ensures that it has enough chlorophyll to absorb more light, which plays an important role in photosynthesis. Thus we can observe a good growth rate in this plant.

Whereas the Hoya Krimson Princess plant has creamy white colored foliage with light green borders which shows its deficiency of chlorophyll. So, these plants do not observe much light as the queen plants do. Thus they have a slow growth rate when compared with the Hoya krimson queen plants.

5. The difference in their care requirements!

All the Hoyas have low growth requirements. But, depending on their classification, the care requirements vary. When it comes to the Hoya krimson queen and princess, they too have different care requirements that help us differentiate them. Let me explain to you in detail!

Sunlight requirements of Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

Sunlight is one of the most essential things for the plant’s survival. So, every plant needs it. Tropical plants like the Hoya Krimson queen and princess love absorbing more light. They thrive when they get enough sunlight. But, direct sun can burn their sensitive foliage. Thus it is recommended to place these plants in bright indirect sunlight. While differentiating both plants, these two plants have slight differences in their sunlight requirements. Let me tell you why!

The Hoya Krimson Queen plants have dark green colored foliage that absorbs more sunlight in less time. So, the limited time of exposure to the bright but indirect sun is enough for it to thrive, moreover, overexposure to the sun can burn its thin foliage. 

On the other hand, the Hoya Krimson Princess plants need more sunlight to have a good growth rate. The lighter pigments of the foliage absorb less light. So, placing it in a bright location can help it thrive. The thick foliage of these plants can tolerate light for a longer period than the krimson queen hoya. In addition to that, these fleshy foliage get damaged by fungal infections, if they don’t get enough sunlight.

Thus they differ in their sunlight requirements.

Frequency of Watering of Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

Hoya plants need a good drink of water to thrive. The frequency of requiring water differs in the hoya krimson queen and the princess.

The Hoya krimson queen needs more water than the hoya krimson princess. There are two reasons to justify the above statement. It is because the growth rate is high in the queen krimson plant. So, they consume more water.

Frequency of Watering of Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

The other reason behind this is, the leaves of this plant are thinner than the krimson princess, thus it stores less water. So, you need to provide enough water frequently. Many gardeners of this plant water it once or twice in 10 days, depending on the climatic conditions

The Hoya Krimson princess plants too need water but less frequently than the queen plants. These plants have thick leaves that store more water in their plant cells.

Watering these plants with hoya krimson queen plants may lead to frequent or overwatering that can cause root rot or other such diseases. Moreover, being a slow-growing plant, it does not need water frequently. So, water it only when the soil becomes dry. Generally, these plants are watered once a week in moderate weather conditions.

Fertilization requirements of Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

The plants that are potted and kept indoors need extra boosting regularly to thrive because the soil loses its nutrients after some time. Thus it fails to supply enough nutrition for the plant. So, you need to fertilize indoor plants to encourage their growth. When it comes to the Hoyas they don’t need much feeding to thrive. Fertilizing in the growing season is enough. The Hoya krimson queen and princess have slight differences in their feeding schedule. Let us know more about it!

The fast-growing Hoya Krimson Queen plants need to be fertilized more frequently than the hoya krimson plants, as these are slow-growing ones. However, you fertilize these plants once or twice in their growing period, but there is a slight difference in the frequency of feeding, for example, depending on the environmental conditions, queen plants need feeding once in 20 days and princess plants may need once in a month during the growing season. 

Organic fertilizers are preferred to feed the Hoya Krimson Queen plant, to avoid burning its roots. You can use mild or diluted fertilizers for feeding the princess krimson hoya plants.

Propagation requirements of Hoya Krimson queen and Hoya Krimson princess!

Hoya plants can be easily propagated and have a success rate. The Hoya Krimson queen and the princess are no exceptions to this. But, they slightly vary in the speed of propagation.

The Hoya Krimson Queen plants are fast-growing plants thus they are mostly used for propagation. While the Hoya Krimson princess plants don’t grow as fast as the queens, they too can be propagated. The stem cuttings of these plants take a little more time to be converted into plants. So, some gardeners refuse to propagate these plants as it is time taking.

Conclusion

The hoya krimson queen and the hoya krimson princess are flowering subspecies of the hoya genus that enhances your interior if you have them. They look similar and do have many similar qualities. But some aspects differentiate both the plants. 

The color difference of the foliage makes a big difference in their look. The hoya krimson queen plants grow faster due to their dark foliage and the princess krimson hoya have a low growth rate due to their light foliage. So, the slow-growing hoya krimson princess plants need less water and fertilization than the fast-growing Hoya krimson queens. These light pigmented plants need more sunlight to thrive and to have fungal or bacterial growth on their fleshy foliage. The queens should not be exposed to the sun for more time as their sensitive foliage can be burnt.

So, I hope this article has helped you to know the differences between the Hoya Krimson Queen and the Hoya Krimson Princess plants. Both these plants add beauty to your home and thrive if you provide proper care for them. If you have any more questions or want to know something specific about your specific plant, reach out to us at plantslane.com. I would be more than happy to help make your plant journey as easy as possible. Also, don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family! Until next time, plant people!

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Author

  • Purnima

    She is a Forestry and Agriculture graduate with over two years of experience in designing, planting, and maintaining an indoor plant and herb garden. She is an evergreen plant lover and plant parent.

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