Sweetheart hoya vs Blushing philodendron

Hoya kerrii · Philodendron erubescens

Pet safety: Sweetheart hoya is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Blushing philodendron is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Why these two get mixed up

Blushing philodendron is recorded here as a pet-safe alternative to Sweetheart hoya, so the question is usually whether the swap is actually a fair one.

Sweetheart hoya (Hoya kerrii) — **Sweetheart hoya** — Hoya kerrii. Photograph by Hobbykafe, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.

Blushing philodendron (Philodendron erubescens) — **Blushing philodendron** — Philodendron erubescens. Photograph by Hooker, Wikimedia Commons , Public domain.

	Sweetheart hoya	Blushing philodendron
Scientific name	Hoya kerrii	Philodendron erubescens
Family	Apocynaceae	Araceae
Light floor	Medium	Medium
Water	12–21 days	6–11 days
Humidity floor	40%	50%
Mature height	6–96 in	24–120 in
Habit	climbing	climbing
Growth rate	slow	fast
Difficulty	Easy	Easy
Toxic to pets	No	Yes
Typical price	$15–50	$25–120

Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.

The differences that matter

Pet safety

This is the difference that matters most. Sweetheart hoya is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Blushing philodendron is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Mature size

Blushing philodendron reaches about 120 inches; Sweetheart hoya tops out near 96. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Watering

Blushing philodendron wants water every 6–11 days, Sweetheart hoya every 12–21. On one shared watering schedule, one of them drowns.

Not even related

Sweetheart hoya is Apocynaceae, Blushing philodendron is Araceae. They share a shop label and nothing else — different families, different continents, different care.

Which should you buy?

With a cat or dog in the house, take Sweetheart hoya. The other is toxic, and if the shop label is wrong you will not know which you have brought home.
In a dim room, take either — both have a medium light floor.
If you forget to water, take Sweetheart hoya, which goes 16 days between drinks.
If it is your first plant, take either — both score 2 of 5.
For a small shelf, take Sweetheart hoya, which stops around 96 inches.

Full entries

Sweetheart hoya — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Blushing philodendron — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Hoya kerrii and Philodendron erubescens — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Hoya kerrii and Philodendron erubescens
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf we have no field for. How this is sourced.