Heart-shaped, yellow-marbled leaves on trailing stems a metre or more long – hanging from a basket or climbing a moss pole. It forgives a lot and you can propagate it in a glass of water.

What it does for you

Pothos is considered easy to care for and adaptable¹ – and it is one of the most popular houseplants in the world². Its stems grow two metres and longer³. You can let it hang from a basket or climb a moss pole¹. New plants are easy to raise in a glass of water¹.

Origin & history

In the wild, pothos only grows on Mo'orea, one of the Society Islands in French Polynesia⁶.

Its former botanical names were Scindapsus aureus and Pothos aureus⁶ – hence the name "pothos". By the way, the plant in your pot is a juvenile form: once it climbs upwards, its leaves grow many times larger². You practically never see it flower – neither in the wild nor in cultivation. The last report of a flower dates from 1962. The reason is a lack of the plant hormone gibberellin – given gibberellin, it flowers².

Caution

Pothos contains calcium oxalate crystals. Chewing on it irritates the mouth and throat and can cause vomiting and trouble swallowing⁷. In cats and dogs the mouth, tongue and lips burn intensely, they drool and vomit⁸. So: keep it out of reach of children and pets. It can irritate the skin – wear gloves when cutting¹.

Care

Light. Bright without direct sun, e.g. at a window with morning or evening sun. Harsh summer sun scorches the leaves; with too little light it grows weakly and loses its pattern¹.

Water. Only water once the soil is almost dry (finger test), and never leave it standing in water – otherwise the roots rot¹. As a rule of thumb, that means about every one to two weeks in summer, less often in winter.

Temperature & humidity. 18–30 °C is ideal, no cold draughts¹. Not below 16 °C at night⁷. It doesn't need high humidity¹.

Soil, pot & repotting. Peat-free houseplant soil, a pot with a drainage hole. On a moss pole the stems hold on with aerial roots if you keep the pole moist¹. Repot in spring when roots grow out of the pot – every two to three years, only one size bigger¹.

Feeding. From spring to mid-autumn once a month with a general houseplant fertiliser¹, not outside that season.

Extras

If it gets too long and bare, cut the stems back above a leaf – then it branches out and gets bushier¹. The cut pieces are your next cuttings.