Types of pothos

Types of pothos

1. 01

   Golden pothos

   Golden pothos is the standard form: green leaves with bright yellow variegation, as UF/IFAS describes it. It is the plant most guides mean when they say pothos, and the golden pothos care guide covers it in full.

   It survives long periods in low light, but NC State notes that low light can cause loss of variegation. In a dim spot the yellow streaks fade and new leaves come out greener.

2. 02

   Marble Queen pothos

   Marble Queen has green leaves and stems marbled with white, in NC State’s words. Compared with Golden, the variegation is white rather than yellow, and the RHS describes the leaves as mainly white, flecked and splashed with green. UF/IFAS gives its leaves as about 12 by 8 cm (4.5 by 3 in).

   Because so much of each leaf is white, give Marble Queen the brightest indirect light you have, out of direct midday sun. If new leaves come out mostly green, the plant needs more light.

3. 03

   Neon pothos

   Neon pothos has bright chartreuse leaves with no variegation (UF/IFAS). The whole leaf is one lime to yellow color, which is the quickest way to tell it from Golden, whose leaves are green with yellow streaks.

   NC State also lists Lime, with bright yellow-green leaves, among the solid-colored pothos. Neon has no pattern to lose, so it needs no extra light beyond the usual bright, indirect spot. Brown spots on a Neon have the same causes as on any pothos.

4. 04

   Manjula pothos

   Manjula is a patented cultivar, US Plant Patent PP27,117, registered under the cultivar name ‘HANSOTI14’. The patent says Ashish Hansoti found it in 2010 in a commercial greenhouse near Mumbai, India, and names its parent as a selection of Epipremnum pinnatum ‘Compacta’.

   The patent describes broad, heart-shaped to triangular leaves with wavy edges that often fold upward, marbled in dark green, yellow-green and very pale green. Plants grow compact and mounding at first and trail as they mature.

   To tell Manjula from Marble Queen, look at the leaf shape: Manjula’s leaves are broad and wavy and often fold upward, while Marble Queen’s are marbled with white. Give Manjula the same bright, indirect light as Marble Queen.

5. 05

   Pearls and Jade pothos

   Pearls and Jade came out of the UF/IFAS breeding program in Apopka, Florida, as a mutation selected from Marble Queen plants. Its leaves are smaller, about 7 to 8 cm (3 in) long and 4 to 5 cm (2 in) wide against roughly 12 by 8 cm (5 by 3 in) on Marble Queen.

   UF/IFAS describes the leaves as white, gray and green in irregular patches, blotches and streaks. The Manjula patent compares the two: Manjula is more mounding, with more variegation per leaf and larger leaves of a different shape.

6. 06

   N’Joy pothos

   N’Joy, sold as Beautifall N’Joy, has small, thinner green leaves with cream variegation (NC State). It holds its own plant patent, US PP19,965. Like the other cream and white types, it needs bright, indirect light to keep its pattern.

7. 07

   Cebu Blue pothos

   Cebu Blue is not Epipremnum aureum. NC State lists it as a cultivar of Epipremnum pinnatum, with small, narrow, lance-shaped blue-green leaves on stems that trail 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m).

   Its leaves usually stay in that juvenile form. Grown up a stake or moss pole, they mature and become split like the species. NC State gives it bright, indirect light, warmth and moderate humidity, so the routine is the same as for golden pothos.

8. 08

   Jade, Snow Queen and other names

   NC State also lists Jade, with solid dark green leaves that do well in low light, Snow Queen, with highly variegated green and white leaves, and Tricolor, with white-variegated leaves and off-white stems. Jade is the best pothos for a dim corner. Snow Queen needs the brightest spot.

   Labels mix two species. The RHS files Marble Queen under Epipremnum pinnatum and lists Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’ as a synonym, while NC State and UF/IFAS list the same cultivars under Epipremnum aureum. The care is the same either way, so trust the leaf over the label.

9. 09

   Care differences between the types

   Every type shares one routine. Water when the top 3 cm (1 in) of mix is dry, let the pot drain and never leave it standing in water. Give bright, indirect light and keep it warm.

   Light is the one thing that changes. The RHS says a permanent loss of variegation usually means too little light, so put white and cream forms such as Marble Queen, Manjula, Pearls and Jade, N’Joy and Snow Queen closest to the window, out of direct midday sun. Jade and Neon cope with less.

   Green shoots on a variegated plant grow faster and can take over. The RHS advises cutting reverted shoots back to growth with variegation as soon as you see them.

   Every type of pothos is toxic to cats and dogs. The leaves contain calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth, so keep all of them out of reach of pets.

Common questions