Hoya nummularioides
Updated: Dec 21, 2020
I find Hoya nummularioides as one of the hardest Hoya names to remember and to pronounce.
But I could share a few tips in remembering and pronouncing Hoya names:
Remember the blog I wrote about naming Hoyas ? In that blog, I have written the different ways Hoyas are named, here is the link to that blog.
If a Hoya is named after the outstanding characteristic of that Hoya, then I try to figure out the root word of that outstanding characteristic and then consult Mr. Google for the meaning. The meaning of the word will then stick to my brain making it easier for me to remember the name.
However, it makes it harder to remember , if you cant even say the name. If you however find the root word and figure out the meaning and origin of that root word, then it will be easier for you to remember and say the name.
EXAMPLE: HOYA NUMMULARIOIDES
You can tell that this Hoya is not named after the person who found this species because it does not end with ii. It is not named after a place because it does not end with ensis. It is not named after a person with great contribution to botany because it does not end with ae or iana. This means this Hoya is named after its most outstanding characteristics.
Most hoyas named after the oustanding characteristics use latin names and most of them are really hard to pronounce.
Generally mispronounced are words that end in the Greek -IDES. IDES means “likeness or resemblance”. You combine ides with the root word and add an O so you create the basic word: o-eye-des or o-i-des.
The name Hoya nummularioides would suggest it has likeness or resemblance to the root word “nummu”. Nummus is a latin word for small coin. The adjective “nummular” means shaped like a coin, disc-shaped, circular.
Nummulari combined with oides = nummularioides. Hoya nummularioides is therefore a hoya that has likeness or resemblance to a small coin , which is the outstanding characteristics of this Hoya, it has leaves that are shaped like a coin… except of course when your Hoya nummularioides is overfed then it starts growing big plump leaves and then the leaves will not look like a small-coin anymore.
For Hoya nummularioides, just remember the word “nummulari” and then add o-eye-des.... if its still too hard to remember and say, then just call it Hoya nummu or Small-coin Hoya .
