Pothos plant also called as Golden Pothos, Ceylon creeper, hunter's robe, ivy arum, money plant, silver vine, Solomon Islands ivy, marble queen, and taro vine, devil's vine or devil's ivy, is one of the most popular house plants in North America.
Pothos plant also called as Golden Pothos, Ceylon creeper, hunter's robe, ivy arum, money plant, silver vine, Solomon Islands ivy, marble queen, and taro vine, devil's vine or devil's ivy, is one of the most popular house plants in North America. The scientific name is Epipremnum aureum. It is often used in decorative displays in shopping centers, offices, and other public locations largely because it requires little care and is also attractively leafy.
IDENTIFY POTHOS PLANT - GOLDEN POTHOS
Pothos plant was endemic to the island of Mo'orea from the Society Islands. However, it is now wild in many tropical countries. The species is a popular houseplant in temperate regions, but has also become naturalized in tropical and sub-tropical forests worldwide.
It is an evergreen vine growing to 20 m tall, with stems up to 4 cm in diameter. The green and yellow heart-shaped leaves of Golden Pothos are easily recognized from its use as hanging baskets indoors, but this plant makes a suitable groundcover or climbing vine in frost-free climates. Growing quickly up the trunks of pine, palm, oak, or other coarse-barked trees, the normally small leaves change to a mature form averaging 18 inches in length, lending a tropical effect to the landscape. The leaves sometime become so large that they may cause the vine to lose its tendril-hold on the trunk, especially after heavy rain storms. When not allowed to climb, Golden Pothos rapidly covers the ground with a dense cover of its variegated foliage.
Pothos does not flower in cultivation, since only the juvenile phase is grown as a houseplant, and flowering occurs only in the mature phase. In the wild, these plants produce a number of erect flower stalks together, each with a cream spathe marked with purple surrounding the spadix.
There are several cultivars with various amounts of variegation, including:
- Epipremnum aureum 'Aureum': As a juvenile this plant has leaves that are variegated with large, discrete jagged golden yellow patches over dark green. As plants reach adulthood the yellow leaf markings increase in area until in mature individuals leaves are not infrequently for the most part yellow. Stems are variegated with yellow marbling over green.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Golden Pothos': A cultivar with wholly clear golden yellow leaves and stems. Mature plants 'Golden Pothos' are rare in cultivation.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Hawaiian': is very close in appearance to 'Wilcoxii' in having leaves with dense but fragmented yellow variegation.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Jade': has plain rich green leaves and may to equate with reverted 'Aureum', which in turn is indistinguishable from wild type E. aureum, although the heavier textured leaves of the juveniles also suggest that it may be a reversion of 'Marble Queen'.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Johanna Queen': has dark green leaves with irregular pale green marbling.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Marble Queen': is, after 'Aureum', the cultivar most often grown in Europe. The leaves are variegated in the same manner as 'Aureum' except that the yellow coloration is replaced with pale cream or white. The stems are marbled cream or white on green.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Mayan Gold': Clear golden yellow leaves. Very similar to 'Golden Pothos' although the leaf color is richer.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Neon': has acid green-yellow leaves without any other markings. The stems are slightly darker in color.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Tropic Green': is a plain green leaved cultivar close to wild type E. aureum. Perhaps the same as 'Jade'.
- Epipremnum aureum 'Wilcoxii': similar to 'Aureum', but has dense yellow variegation that is much more fragmented, giving the leaf a golden and green-marbled appearance.
Pothos is toxic if ingested in large quantities because it contains calcium oxalate. This will cause burning in the mouth and the sap may also be irritating to the skin.
POTHOS PLANT - GOLDEN POTHOS CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Golden Pothos displays best leaf color when grown in bright diffuse light, such as in the shifting shade of a pine tree, but the plants seem to grow quickest in deeper shade. Variegated plants sometimes lose their leaf pattern and revert to all-green plants if they don't get enough light; moving them to brighter conditions usually restores the variegation. Suddenly paler-looking leaves mean the plant is getting too much sun.
Temperature and humidity:
Pothos plant does best with high humidity, and temperatures between 70 and 90°F, but will survive a wide range of environmental conditions. This plant likes high humidity but it is very tolerant and can thrive even where there is low humidity.
Substrate and growing media:
Moist, rich soil is recommended, although any well-drained soil is sufficient as long as plants are regularly watered during dry periods. The vining habit makes it unsuitable for planting in and around a shrub border since stems will grow up into the shrub.
Watering:
Plants should be allowed to dry out slightly and watered only when the soil surface feels dry. If left continually in damp soil, the roots will rot. Black spots on the leaves and the sudden collapse of the plant indicate the soil has been kept too wet. Don’t wait until the leaves start to shrivel or you will lose some leaves. Dry, brown edges mean the plant was kept dry too long.
Fertilizer:
Pothos aren’t heavy feeders, but since there are no nutrients in most potting soils, fertilize every other month, except during the winter when the plant is not actively growing with any balanced houseplant fertilizer.
Pruning:
Older leaves will turn yellow and drop off naturally, eventually ending up with most of the leaves at the end of the vine. Selectively prune to keep vines a reasonable length and to promote new growth. Plants can be cut back to 2 inches from the soil line if necessary.
Propagation:
This plant is easily propagated from cuttings or by air-layering. The vines root in water or vermiculite within 3-4 weeks and buds can start to grow in 1-2 weeks under warm temperatures. It is best to plant several rooted cuttings together in a single pot.
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