Pothos are popular houseplants that have multiple names, both scientific and common, making it difficult to identify by name alone.
By sight though things are quite different. With its obvious trailing habit and distinctive leaf markings, it gives itself away and becomes an easily recognisable houseplant.
This guide will show you the main Pothos varieties with names and pictures to quickly identify what you have already (or if you're a plant collector, what should go on your wish list!). We also have an extensive care guide if you need it.
Epipremnum, Pothos, Devil’s Ivy or Taro Vine. However you know it, these plants make fab indoor plants and there are a lot to pick from.
Pothos is constantly mislabeled or confused with several Philodendron and Scindapsus species plants. Some are even known or sold as "Pothos" when they're actually Philodendron or Scindapsus.
Essentially, only Epipremnum plants are true Pothos. But there are other plants that many readers will think are Pothos when they aren't.
Confused? Don't worry too much about it.
The good news, and what it boils down to, is that it doesn't really matter. The care needs are often similar, they look alike and you can generally grow them in the same ways.
There are many popular pothos varieties that are sold today.
This is why our list below covers some common, some rare Pothos varieties as well as Scindapsus and some Philodendron varieties. We'll tell you what's what as we go.
Jade Pothos is the original. This has solid green leaves of average size with a reasonably neat growth habit. However, it's a bit plain so has largely been replaced by more appealing looking pothos varieties.
Although there are quite a few different cultivars, only a handful of popular cultivars are sold today in your everyday plant shops. They all have the same care requirements but have more appeal due to their unusual and attractive leaf markings.
The Jade Pothos has solid green leaves. The ones in the photos above are all varieties or cultivars which add more visual interest.
Perhaps the most common type you can buy will be Epipremnum aureum (known more often as Golden Pothos and Devils Ivy). A mid-green and mustard-colored variegated plant with heart shaped leaves.
It's the most tolerant and accommodating of low light conditions. Being quite hardy and adaptable to erratic watering for some time, it's a winner for newbies and experienced plant parents alike.
It also has another special trait; unlike almost all other variegated plants, if you put this Pothos in low light conditions it will still hold on to its variegation well. It will grow faster in indirect light or bright light though, just be sure to avoid intense direct sunlight.
E. aureum - Golden Pothos - In time it will produce very long vines.
Marble Queen is the second Pothos variety that you should be able to find easily enough. This one has contrasting but stunning marbled white and green foliage.
It's a little harder to care for and therefore hasn't become as common as the Golden. The leaves have less chlorophyll due to the variegation so it grows slower, although this could be an advantage if you want a plant that won't take up too much space.
Jessenia Pothos is very similar to Marble Queen except it has more green and less variegated markings. The Snow Queen Pothos is another take on the same look, with the white markings being "snow" white, instead of the more creamy whites you find on the Marble. All three can look fairly similar.
E. aureum 'Marble Queen' by LucaLuca
If you want even smaller and dainty looking leaves then Pothos N'Joy should be the one to look out for. It's sometimes labeled and known as Pearls and Jade. N'Joy has an elegant growth habit and looks splendid if you want its vines to drape and hang down from a shelf or window ledge.
The leaves have the familiar green but are blotched throughout with slightly off white sections. Again adding contrast and increasing the attractive look of the plant.
It's worth pointing out that this plant is not the fastest growing cultivar and is less accommodating of poor watering. If you let it dry out too much, it will droop and let you know it's not happy by looking sickly.
On the plus, I've found it the easiest type to propagate in small jars or containers using just water. I'll show you how to do this here if you want to give it a go.
E. aureum NJoy pothos.
A rising star, the Neon Pothos variety has massively increased in popularity in the last few years, in part because of Instagram inspired posts. People can't get enough!
The attraction is hardly surprising. With its wonderfully all green vibrant foliage that falls between the colors of yellow and lime green, it's striking and bold but also very pretty.
It also has all the positive traits of its siblings. Easy going and reasonably drought tolerant as well as serving as a living air-purifier in our homes, it helps scrub the air clean of toxins.
The only negative I've personally found is that in lower light the green coloring changes. It goes a little darker. Not a massive amount by any means, but it does lose some of that luminous neon hue. The easy fix of course is to grow it in a brighter space.
E. aureum 'Neon' in a hanging basket
This one is a cultivar (created in 2010 by scientists in India), a cross (or at least a strong relation) to N'Joy and the Jade. It has similar green and contrasting white variegation in the leaves but bigger leaves than the N'Joy, it also has wavy edges that give it an interesting shape.
Difference between Manjula and Happy Leaf?
None. They're the same plant! Manjula gives off a more exotic sounding name, but Happy leaf and Manjula Pothos are exactly the same plant.
It's pretty rare and is likely the most expensive variety featured on this page. It also grows much slower.
I like it! It was initially named Epipremnum pinnatum "HANSOTI14", but with a name like that, it should be clear why it didn't catch on and is more commonly known as Manjula. In some parts of the world it goes by "Happy Leaf Pothos".
Growing moderately fast it will look good in a pot, hanging basket or can be allowed to clamber up a support totem. The main drawback is that because it's a cultivar, there is heavy regulation regarding who can grow and sell these plants. This means, it can be rare and more expensive than most of the others on this list.
Manjula Pothos (AKA - Epipremnum Happy Leaf)
Global Green and Emerald Green (up next) are two newer types that came to the mass market around 2020. Both are considered "unusual," but when you come across one, neither should be overly expensive due to their very easy and fast-growing nature.
Propagation has a good success rate and it gets growing quickly as soon as they get established after a few months. The big sellers and nurseries are therefore able to mass-produce new plants rapidly.
Global Green is all green, but it has two different shades. A darker green on the outside and a lighter one on the inner parts. It essentially looks like a cross between the original Jade and the Neon. Except with smaller leaves and a little more compact.
Global Green showing off it's green variegation.
Emerald Green, is almost a reverse photoshopped flip of Global Green. The plant looks identical in size and growth habit, but the green shades on the leaf are flipped around. So the lighter green is on the outside and the darker green on the inside.
We don't own this one yet, so there is no photo to show, but the differences between the two side by side can be seen clearly on this Reddit thread if you'd like to compare them.
Cebu Blue is one of only a handful of plants on our list that doesn't look like a typical Pothos. It has unusual subtle silvery-blue leaves that are more elongated than other Pothos types.
It also has two different growth patterns, the first is the Juvenile form which is when it produces solid and reasonably small leaves, as shown in the photo below. The later growth pattern is the Mature form, where the leaves will start to fenestrate and grow natural splits like a Monstera (this might explain why it's sometimes mislabeled as one).
How to Get Fenestrations on your "Cebu Blue" Pothos.
The plant will only produce them once it enters the "Mature" form.
This only happens when 1) the plant is mature enough and 2) when it's growing up a pole, trellis, or some other upward support.
It's pretty rare and is likely the most expensive variety featured on this page. It also grows much slower.
Tip - Costa Farms are a big supplier of houseplants in the United States and they're always looking for new trends. Due to their large size if they get it right they can be an incredibly powerful deciding factor as to if the plant will become successful or popular.
If you're a fan of Cebu Blue and struggle to get one at a price you want to pay, Costa Farms are starting to grow and sell a very similar variety to the Cebu Blue. It could be the next big thing. Who knows. If you want to check it out, they're calling it Baltic Blue pothos.
Cebu Blue with it's sought after metallic sheen - photo by Terrarium tribe
Epipremnum amplissimum or the Amplifolia Pothos is the second plant on our list that's not really Pothos like. The leaves are a dark green and are very long and elongated in comparison. It looks almost like a Peace Lily but with much skinnier leaves.
It does best growing up a trellis or totem pole, but you can still have it in a pot.
This was our final true "pothos" plant. We still have another four to go, but *gasps* they might be known as "Devil's Ivy", but they aren't actually Epipremnum at all.
Epipremnum amplissimum - With its dark green foliage and long narrow leaves it looks a bit like a Peace Lily. The Amplissimum Pothos is just as easy to care for as well.
Hi, I'm Tom!
If you're like me and enjoy the challenge of growing houseplants and getting them to thrive, then Ourhouseplants can help. This website shares my knowledge and years of growing plants and provides (hopefully) helpful advice on properly caring for your indoor plant friends.
Marble Planet has had a very debated history in terms of official botanical naming and you know what? I'm not convinced it won't change again in the near future. In a nut shell it's either a true Pothos (Epipremnum), or Monstera (Monstera Karstenian, Monstera Karstenianum or Monstera Peru).
Despite the uncertainty, what I can tell you about Marble Planet is that it's a beautiful cultivar that's started to become popular over the last five years.
The dark green leaves have deep and pronounced veins that give an almost bubbly and puckered feel. This gives seriously impressive thickness, strength, and size to each leaf. The stems grow fast, and they produce new leaves rapidly.
Epipremnum pinnatum Marble Planet also known as Monstera Karstenianum or Monstera Peru
The first Scindapsus in our list and the most confusing. It's not an Epipremnum, but its common name is "Satin Pothos" or "Trebi Pothos". With names like that, most people will of course get confused about what it actually is.
The good news, is that the care requirements and growth habits are pretty much identical. I treat mine in exactly the same way and it does really well. We have a separate care guide for this one if you need it.
Scindapsus Pictus 'Silvery Ann' sometimes known as the "Silver Pothos" on account of it's silver leaf markings that show in the right light.
Philodendron inbound.
Not a Pothos, but mistaken for one frequently. It will still clamber up trellises or moss poles and can be used to cascade down from a hanging basket or shelf. The leaf shape and coloring are very similar, which is no doubt why they get muddled so often.
If you're not confident in the difference or unsure what plant you own, then Stamen and Stem have an excellent article that breaks it all down and goes through the differences between the two plants.
It's easy to care for and if you let it clamber upwards it will produce aerial roots that cling and support it as it moves upwards. When growing like this, the leaves will get much bigger.
Philodendrons need bright light and moist soil. Grow them up a moss pole and it will grow large leaves.
Philodendron hederaceum (philodendron brasil) is the second most popular Philodendron mistaken for a Pothos. Less so than the all green variety (above).
It's also easy to grow but the care needs are slightly different (my care and growing guide for it can be found here).
Pothos plants in general, will put up with some really low light spots and deals with quite a bit of under-watering and dry soil before things start to go downhill.
However Philodendrons usually don't cope as well with under-watering, and growth really suffers if the lighting levels are low.
Brasil has a lovely light green shade running through the center of the leaves.
That's it! List complete, you now know the 14 most common "Pothos" plants that people buy and own. They all make great and relatively easy houseplants.
Over the last 20 years, Tom has successfully owned hundreds of houseplants and is always happy to share knowledge and lend his horticulture skills to those in need. He is the leading content writer for the Ourhouseplants Team.
