Appearance

Growth form

This evergreen vine trails from a basket or climbs with aerial roots. Outdoors in tropical climates, stems can climb about 40 ft (12 m).

Leaves

Juvenile leaves are glossy and heart-shaped, commonly with yellow or cream variegation. On mature outdoor vines, the leaves can become 2–3 ft (0.6–0.9 m) long and develop deep splits.

Flowers

Flowering is extremely rare in cultivation and in naturalized populations.

Look-alikes

Images coming soon

red-leaf philodendronPhilodendron erubescens

Red-leaf philodendron usually has reddish-purple leaf stalks and young stems, often with red or copper color beneath the leaves. Pothos commonly has yellow-splashed leaves and a distinctly grooved leaf stalk.

Why they get mixed up · Both are climbing houseplants with glossy, heart-shaped leaves.

dumb caneDieffenbachia seguine

Dumb cane grows upright from thick, cane-like stems and has large oblong leaves with broad pale blotches. Pothos has slender trailing vines with leaves spaced along the stem.

Why they get mixed up · Both are common tropical houseplants with pale leaf markings.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• indoor pots
• hanging baskets
• warm, disturbed forests in Florida

Range

The species is native to Mo’orea in the Society Islands. It is widely grown in the United States and has escaped cultivation in warm areas, including central and southern Florida and Hawaii. In Florida, it can blanket the ground and climb over native vegetation. It is rated a high invasion risk across Florida.

Preferred conditions

It grows best in bright, indirect light but tolerates low light. Let the potting mix dry between waterings, and protect it from cold temperatures.

Growing it

Care

Give it bright, filtered light for strong variegation, though green-leaved plants handle lower light. Avoid soggy soil, and prune long stems when needed.

Propagation

Stem cuttings that include a point where a leaf joins the stem root readily in water or moist potting mix. Discarded vine pieces can also root outdoors in warm, wet places.

Toxicity

All parts contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Chewing the plant can cause burning and swelling of the mouth, drooling, vomiting, or trouble swallowing in people and pets.

Name and classification

About the name

Older labels may say Pothos aureus or Scindapsus aureus, and it was once treated as a cultivated form of Epipremnum pinnatum.

Varieties and forms

Common cultivated forms include ‘Golden Pothos’, ‘Marble Queen’, ‘N’Joy’, ‘Neon’, ‘Pearls and Jade’, and ‘Snow Queen’.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

NENot Evaluated·Not yet assessed