Pothos plants are an ideal plant choice if you don’t have much time to take care of them but still want something green and beautiful in your houseplant collection.
They also come in many different colors, so there’s one to match any decor style or color scheme you might have. Here’s a list of 9 pothos varieties with pictures and information about each type.
When is a Pothos a Pothos?
Pothos plants are members of the pothos genus (Epipremnum pinnatum or pittosporum peltatum). They are all vines, despite some pothos types not looking like vines.
While they’re not technically related to philodendrons, pothos and philodendrons share many physical similarities. Pothos vines can be identified by their heart-shaped, variegated leaves that grow in opposing pairs off the vine stem.
The following pothos plant types are listed in alphabetical order:
1) Cast Iron Plant
The Cast Iron Plant is a common pothos variety with broad dark green leaves and numerous variegated varieties, similar to the pothos plant. It can grow up to 60 inches long.
Cast iron pothos has grown in popularity due to their ability to withstand air quality issues, such as ozone and other unhealthy pollutants.
It thrives best in shade or partial light with high humidity levels but will thrive well indoors if given enough indirect sunlight, warmth, and water during the warmer months of Spring through Fall.
2) Golden Pothos
These pothos vines are beautiful potted plants that don’t require bright light or bright indirect light.
This pothos plant vine makes a great fit for a hanging basket since it is very easy to manage and prune after being allowed to grow for several weeks.
Golden pothos should be grown in an area where it can climb, such as on a hanging basket. It also makes for a perfect potted plant and is often sold in potted plant shops or grocery stores.
Golden pothos should be grown in high humidity areas such as bathrooms with showerheads that produce warm air around the faucet.
Grown in low humidity areas, this pothos type grows very slowly and has weak leaves and stems. However, if potted indoors, golden pothos vines will thrive even in lower light conditions than found outdoors and may take on a beautiful purple tint.
3) Neon Pothos (Epipremnum pinnatum ‘Neon’)
Neon pothos plant is a popular plant because it has bright white variegation. With neon pothos plant care, you can keep your plant healthy and vibrant. Neon pothos plant also comes in two other forms: Big Twist, which is similar to Neon but has longer leaves that twist around the stem, and Marble Queen which is similar to Neon with variegation of green and cream.
When potting neon pothos plants, be sure to use a clay or ceramic container since plant containers made from plastic may cause root damage due to heating up in the sun. When growing neon pothos plant outdoor plant them in partial to full sun.
Since this plant is known to have weak leaves if grown in low light conditions, plant your neon pothos plants where it can climb, such as on a wooden fence or trellis.
4) Pothos Plant
This pothos variety typically has smaller leaves and grows up to 4 feet long.
Pothos is a great potted plant for beginners because it’s one of the hardier pothos vines out there, growing in direct sunlight or partial shade/indirect sunlight.
Pothos plant should be watered every week or so, but only when the soil is dry to touch. Potted pothos vines can also tolerate low humidity environments well since they have been grown outdoors where humidity levels are typically higher than indoor levels.
5) Pearls and Jade Pothos (Epipremnum Pertusum)
Pearls and Jade pothos plant is a beautiful plant with variegated leaves, one of the most popular pothos vines out there. This plant is easy to grow and requires very little light or water. It can be grown in both indoor and outdoor conditions, tolerating indirect sunlight well.
When plant pearls and jade pothos plant, place in indirect sunlight or minimal shade. Be sure to plant your plant where it can climb, such as on a tree stump with the help of some fishing line.
This plant is also known to grow well in bathrooms because of the high humidity levels found there.
6) Scindapsus Aures ‘Green Satin’
This pothos variety is another one of the newer pothos plants to hit the market. It grows 2 feet long and has light green leaves.
This potted pothos vine thrives best when given about 4 hours of bright light, partial shade or indirect light exposure daily. However, too much sunlight will burn its leaves quickly!
Scindapsus aureus pothos needs water every couple of weeks if it’s in soil that drains well or drier conditions, but it can also thrive in just about any type of soil as long as you have good drainage for your potting mix.
Grown outdoors, Scindapsus Aureus does best in high humidity areas.
7) Pothos ‘Silver Princess’
This pothos vine is another newer potted plant to hit the market and it’s one of the prettiest potted pothos vines as far as variety goes. The leaves are dark green with silver edges and they have a silvery hue overall.
Pothos ‘silver princess’ is very easy to care for. It can grow indoors or outdoors but it likes warm, dry conditions which makes it perfect for desert plants.
It also needs sunlight or indirect light exposure for about 4 hours a day. ‘Silver Princess’ can also thrive well indoors in lower light conditions.
8) Pothos Argyraeus
This potted pothos variety has leaves that are yellowish-green with dark green veins running through them.
The vine itself typically grows about 2 feet long and thrives best when it’s exposed to bright, indirect sunlight for at least 4 hours daily or if given full sun exposure then the plant will need plenty of water since soil that is dry needs time to absorb water deeply into its roots.
Argyraeus pothos does best in soil that drains well and prefers it to be slightly moist but not soaking wet.
Argyraeus pothos will also thrive if watered every other week or so.
9) Umbrella Plant
This potted pothos is another fascinating variety of this easy houseplant to grow since its leaves are longer and wider than most varieties, growing up to 8 inches long and 4 inches wide with yellowish-white veins running through them.
The vines themselves typically grow about 3 feet long and prefer to be exposed to bright, indirect sunlight for 4 hours daily or more.
If you have these pothos in direct sunlight without sufficient water, the leaves will burn quickly since they are more sensitive to bright light variations of all types rather than low humidity, which allows this pothos variety to thrive indoors or outdoors.
Facts About Pothos Varieties
There are a number of plant varieties in the pothos plant family, and understanding them will make you a better plant parent.
Pothos plants originate from tropical regions, which makes them very easy to grow. In fact, they don’t even need soil. All pothos plant varieties grown as houseplants do well in humidity and indirect light. This plant will thrive in bright or dim light, with warm or cool temperatures-as long as it’s not too hot for the plant!
The plant is unique because of its variegated color patterns on thick leaves that grow up to 3 feet long. The structures of pothos vary depending on the variety you plant.
How to Grow Pothos
- Use only peat moss or potting mix for pothos plant varieties. The plant does not like rich soil and will yellow quickly if fertilized.
- Keep the soil moist but allow it to dry between watering. If it is kept too wet, the leaf color will turn brown or gray. Overwatering can also cause the plant to drop leaves and lead to root rot and fungal disease.
- These plants do not need direct sunlight to grow. They thrive in low-light and bright indoor spotlighting. However, they do like bright indirect sunlight if the plant is located near a window with afternoon sun exposure.
- Pinch plant at least once or twice during its growing season every month or so to promote new growth.
- Prune plant tips as needed to keep the plant small and foliage bushy. It is a fast-growing plant, so it will need to be pruned regularly.
How to Grow Pothos from Cuttings
Pothos can also be propagated by taking cuttings. Cut about 12 inches of pothos plant tips and plant in soil. Water well and place plant tips in full sun or bright indirect light conditions. It should take several weeks for new sprouts to appear.
Pothos varieties may look delicate and exotic, but they’re actually very easy to care for.
The 9 varieties of pothos we’ve listed can add diversity and beauty to your houseplant collection with minimal effort on your part.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener looking for something new, we hope our guide has helped inform you about the best ways to grow and care for these lovely plants.