No houseplant collection is complete without at least one pothos plant.
These famous indoor beauties belong on your shelf, with gorgeous tendrils of leaves that cascade to the floor. They even add a touch of greenery to your kitchen if you place them above your refrigerator. Rest assured, wherever you place your photos, they will feel right at home.
However, the elegance of this plant is not its only attraction. If you are a new or maybe very busy houseplant parent, pothos is perfect for you.
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Pothos doesn’t need much to thrive, just a cozy place that gets lots of direct and indirect light. It’s also not picky about its environment, thriving in a variety of temperature and humidity conditions. It grows best in warmer environments with high humidity, but will also thrive in drier, cooler conditions.
Pothos don’t have an intense need for water either, often preferring the soil to dry out a bit between waterings. And if you forget to water, your pothos comes with a handy indicator that lets you know when it needs a drink: the leaves will start to curl.
If you want to improve your collection of pothos, it is very easy to propagate from cuttings and grow new plants.
The only downside to pothos is their toxicity to humans, cats, and dogs. Wherever you put it, it’s better to keep it out of reach of your children, human and hairy kind.
When it comes to this easy plant, plant collectors and novice gardeners can’t get enough. Luckily, there are several cultivars, each with a unique style of leaf shapes and patterns to satisfy all your pothos cravings.
Here are the eight best pothos varieties to start with or add to your pothos (and houseplant) collection.
1. Golden Pothos
The Golden Pothos is the truth epipremnum aureum, it is the scientific name of pothos. The common name makes sense, because Golden it is Latin for gold, more appropriate for its gold-veined leaves.
Golden pothos is the perfect first pothos for many, as it is the most common and adaptable of all pothos varieties. It also grows remarkably fast, reaching a height of 12 feet in no time. This pothos and its heart-shaped leaves flecked with gold will bring charm to your interior.
Golden pathos isn’t just for indoor growers, though. Outdoors, it uses its natural climbing behavior. Under good growing conditions, it will quickly curl around trees or spread over open ground. This fast-growing nature adds to its appeal, but in many areas pothos is considered invasive when planted outdoors and allowed to spread freely.
2. Cebu Blue Pothos
The Cebu Blue Pothos stands out subtly from the crowd. It is a tall, inconspicuous plant that always turns heads.
Unlike other Pothos, Cebu Blue has narrow, pointed leaves that look like arrowheads. These arrowhead leaves are also darker than the rest of the genus, often having a blue-green tint and shiny texture. It is truly a unique pothos and houseplant.
Cebu blue pothos is so different because it belongs to a different species, MY. pinnatum. But don’t worry, she stays true to her sex characteristics. This particular blue pothos is always easy to care for and is also fast growing, rewarding with long tendrils and large bluish-green leaves when properly cared for.
3. Potos N’Joy
This cultivar is a relatively new addition to the pothos family, but it certainly shouldn’t be overlooked. This compact pothos is perfect for small spaces that need a splash of color. It may not grow as tall or as fast as other members of the pothos family, but it more than makes up for in looks.
Pothos N’Joy has small bushy leaves that are covered in large white and cream spots. This variety may not have a completely new look, as some other cultivars have similar leaf styles. However, N’Joy is different in that it does not have spots like other cultivars. Instead, the creamy spots are solid, creating a stark contrast of white and green.
To get the most out of your N’Joy Pothos, place it in bright indirect light. The more light it receives, the better and more pronounced the tone will be.
4. Marble of Queen Pothos
Speaking of white and cream pothos, one cannot fail to mention the Marble Queen Pothos.
This cultivar may look like other white-spotted pothos, but it looks slightly different, which sets it apart from the crowd. The pattern of the variety is similar to Golden Pothos, but instead of golden stripes, the leaves have bright white spots. These white backsplashes go so well with the green that they actually look like marble.
It’s easy to become obsessed with these eye-catching variegated leaves. Fortunately, Marble Queen Pothos is one of the oldest varieties, as easy to find as it is to maintain.
5. Frozen Pothos
We can’t talk about the Pothos of the Marble Queen without mentioning the Pothos of the Snow Queen. The Snow Queen is the most variegated in this short collection, with white spots covering most of the leaves.
In some cases, this cultivar has leaves that are more white than green. With this almost all-white look, it’s no wonder she’s called the Snow Queen.
Unfortunately, this beautiful plant needs a little more attention than other pothos. Due to the limited amount of green, this plant has much less chlorophyll than normal, so it processes light much slower than greener plants.
The Snow Queen needs lots of indirect light to really thrive. Extra sunlight keeps this pothos growing and happy.
6. Neon Pictures
Neon Pothos is very similar to Golden Pothos, but this cultivar has some notable differences. Instead of golden stripes, it has sturdy bright lime green leaves, hence its name.
While most mimic the variety of other pothos varieties and cultivars, the simplicity of Neon Pothos makes it unique. The shine of its leaves sets it apart from members of its genus and other houseplants.
This cultivar is so bright it even seems to glow. Young leaves are extremely fluorescent and tend to fade slightly as they age. However, keeping your neon photos bright and vibrant is as simple as giving them plenty of bright light. Dull leaves are a sure sign that your Neon Pothos is not getting enough light.
7. Manjula Pothos
Manjula pothos is another unique variety with a completely different leaf shape. It also has an interesting variety – dark green leaves with white and olive green spots.
Manjula pothos has broad leaves with wavy edges, which sets it apart from the rest of the pothos genus. The mixed hue of green, white and olive makes this plant even more unique, as this combination is hard to find in most plants.
But the charm of Manjula Pothos does not stop there. Each leaf of this pothos has a different variety pattern, making it the ultimate plant.
Like the Snow Queen pothos, the Manjula can have spots that lack a significant amount of chlorophyll. To really thrive, it needs lots of light.
8. Pothos of pearls and jade
The last cultivar on this list seems to have it all. The Pearls & Jade pothos is a highly sought after pothos, and it’s easy to see why once you look at it. The variety comes in white, cream, and green patches and solid blocks, making each leaf different.
What makes this plant even more special is the white variety that often appears around the edges of the leaves. This rare leaf pattern frames the center of the leaves, making the green and cream pop even more.
Pearls & Jade is a smaller, more compact and, like N’Joy, slow growing variety. Despite its uniqueness, Pearls & Jade is often confused with N’Joy and Marble Queen, or vice versa. But whichever pothos you choose, you’re sure to have a centerpiece unlike any other houseplant.
When it comes to choosing a pothos cultivar, you can’t go wrong. These plants are unpretentious and suitable for all types of gardeners, from beginners to expert gardeners.
The different leaf shapes and variations offered by some of these cultivars also means that there is a pothos for everyone.
There are flashy blades to choose from like the Marble Queen and her offspring – Manjula and Pearls & Jade. Or you can go for a more monochromatic look with Neon or Cebu Blue. You can also opt for the Golden Pothos, which has a more traditional look.
Whichever pothos you choose, you can be sure it will fill your space with long-lasting streaks of beautiful foliage.