Epipremnum aureum - Pothos

One of the most popular plants we stock is ‘Pothos’ but what is a ‘Pothos’? People are typically referencing Epipremnum aureum, Philodendron hederaceum (syn. scandens) or Scindapsus when they talk about Pothos but Pothos is a different genus. Common names for plants can become confusing as many are used for more than one plant - we’re looking at you 'Money Tree.'

Epipremnum aureum is part of the Araceae family and its native range is Society Islands (Mo'orea). When it was first identified in 1880 it was named Pothos aureus, the materials obtained were the juvenile form of the plant so the leaves were small. Then in 1908 it was reclassified to the genus Scindapsus. Fast forward another 55 years and finally an inflorescence was collected (inflos are the key to properly identifying species) and that’s when it was reclassified again as Epipremnum.

Epipremnum aureum are commonly sold in hanging pots as an easy-going trailing plant but in their natural environment they behave much differently. They are an allomorphic aroid vine which means they develop a “searching body” along the horizontal growth axis; they creep along the forest floor looking for a phorophyte (host plant). When they reach the host they develop a “foraging body” along the vertical growth axis direction, which is oriented toward light (Strong and Ray, 1975)1. Studies have shown that leaf size can be up to 30 times larger when grown under canopy light conditions compared to those growing in the same light conditions as the forest understory 2. When Epipremnum aureum makes contact with the host, the plant triggers development of aerial roots; this combination of contact and the change in growth axis is what induces morphogenesis.

Of course we have high hopes for our plants but it’s unlikely that your Epipremnum is going to reach the size of its wild relatives when growing in home conditions. That’s ok, enjoy it for what it is; a fast growing, easy to propagate and tolerant addition to your collection.

References

1. Jr, Donald & Jr, Thomas. (1975). Host Tree Location Behavior of a Tropical Vine (Monstera gigantea) by Skototropism. Science. 190. 804-806. 10.1126/science.190.4216.804. 
2. Carolina Brito, Dulce Mantuano, Karen L.G. De Toni, André Mantovani, Untangling leaf expansion triggers: A new experimental study with Epipremnum aureum (Araceae), Flora, Volume 295, 2022, 152139, ISSN 0367-2530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2022.152139.