140 
Card. Bull. Singapore 69(1) 2017 
Habitat and ecology. It inhabits primary moist cloud forest at 1800-2000 m. It climbs 
until it finds support on branches and then sends out stiff spreading branches which 
flower several times a year. In cultivation it proved to be quite sensitive to both warm 
and dry conditions and was rather difficult to propagate and transplant, with several 
failed attempts. This is, therefore, a very sensitive species and is likely to suffer under 
human pressure and global warming. 
Provisional IUCN conservation assessment. Endangered B2a,b(iii) (IUCN, 2016). 
Hoya urniflora is a locally rare but widespread species that is very susceptible to forest 
degradation. 
Additional specimens examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Morobe Province: Menyamya 
district, Spreader Divide, between Aseki and Menyamya, 6600 ft [c. 2010 m], epiphyte 
climbing over small vegetation, 7°18'S 146°07'E, 21 Nov 1970, Streimann & Kairo NGF 42473 
(LAE); Huon Peninsula, Hoboc, 1850 m, 24 Dec 2011, living accession NS 11-321, vouchered 
at Ukarumpa on 31 May 2013, Simonsson Juhonewe, N. & Juhonewe, F. NS0069L (LAE, 
SING); Huon Peninsula, Hoboc, 1900 m, 24 Dec 2011, living accession NS 11-327, vouchered 
at Ukarumpa on 9 Mar 2014, Simonsson Juhonewe, N. & Juhonewe, F. NS0096L (LAE); Huon 
Peninsula, Hoboc, 1850 m, 24 Dec 2011, living accession NS11-322, vouchered at Ukarumpa 
on 28 Aug 2014, Simonsson Juhonewe, N. & Juhonewe, F. NS0098L (LAE); Huon Peninsula, 
Hoboc, 1850 m, 24 Dec 2011, living accession NS11-323, vouchered at Ukarumpa on 9 Jun 
2014, Simonsson Juhonewe, N. & Juhonewe, F. NS0099L (LAE); Huon Peninsula, Hoboc, 
1900 m, 24 Dec 2011, living accession NS11-326, vouchered at Ukarumpa on 31 Dec 2014, 
Simonsson Juhonewe, N. & Juhonewe, F. NS0100L (LAE); Huon Peninsula, Hoboc, 2013 m, 
29 Dec 2011, living accession NS11-349, vouchered at Ukarumpa on 31 Jan 2016, Simonsson 
Juhonewe, N. & Juhonewe, F. NS0101L (LAE); Huon Peninsula, Hoboc, 1885 m, 29 Dec 2011, 
living accession NS 11-354, vouchered at Ukarumpa on 29 Sep 2014, Simonsson Juhonewe, N. 
& Juhonewe, F. NS0102L (LAE). 
Notes. Hoya urniflora was described as Marsdenia urniflora P.I.Forst. (Forster 1995: 
752) with a holotype in SING. However, there are three duplicates of Carr 14065 
in SING with none of them labelled as the holotype. Following ICN Art. 8.1 & 8.2 
(McNeill et al., 2012) a holotype may only be a single specimen. Therefore, we select 
a lectotype here, specimen SING0122003. 
The taxon should be placed in Hoya because, despite lacking the sterile edge of the 
pollinia typical of Hoya , it does have valvate bud aestivation, a character difficult or 
impossible to observe on dry specimens with only open flowers but easily seen in fresh 
material. Bud aestivation in Marsdenia R.Br. is instead imbricate. Pollinia without 
a sterile edge in Hoya are not limited to H. urniflora but typical of species in Hoya 
section Eriostemma and, in Papuasia, is also lacking in Hoya juhonewe ana. 
Hoya urniflora is easily distinguished from the majority of Hoya species due to the 
conspicuous sunken venation causing a characteristic bullate leaf surface, and by 
its dense cover of >1 mm long hairs on all vegetative parts, especially when young. 
Vegetatively it can only be confused with the new taxon Hoya juhoneweana Simonsson 
& Rodda. However, Hoya juhoneweana has pendulous stems while H. urniflora 
