Epipremnum aureum

has a multitude of common names including devils ivy,

golden pothos, hunters robe, ivy arum, money plant,
silver vine, Solomon Islands ivy and taro vine.
It is sometimes mistakenly labeled as a Philodendron in
plant stores.

1 Characteristic
E. aureum is an evergreen vine growing to 20 m (66 ft)
tall, with stems up to 4 cm (2 in) in diameter, climbing by means of aerial roots which adhere to surfaces.
The leaves are alternate, heart-shaped, entire on juvenile
plants, but irregularly pinnatid on mature plants, up to
100 cm (39 in) long and 45 cm (18 in) broad (juvenile
leaves much smaller, typically under 20 cm (8 in) long).
The owers are produced in a spathe up to 23 cm (9 in)
long. This plant produces trailing stems when it climbs
up trees and these take root when they reach the ground
and grow along it. The leaves on these trailing stems grow
up to 10 cm (4 in) long and are the ones normally seen on
this plant when it is cultivated as a pot plant.

Variegated cultivar of E. aureum

2 Cultivation and uses

In temperate regions it is a popular houseplant with numerous cultivars selected for leaves with white, yellow,
or light green variegation. It is often used in decorative
displays in shopping centers, oces, and other public locations largely because it requires little care and is also attractively leafy. It is also ecient at removing indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene.[4] A
study found that this eect lessened the higher the molecular weight of the polluting substance.[5] As a houseplant
it can reach a height of 20 m (66 ft) or more, given suitable support. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[6]
The plant is sometimes used in aquariums, placed on top
of the aquarium and allowed to grow roots in the water.
This is benecial to the plant and the aquarium as it absorbs many nitrates and uses them for growth.

Epipremnum aureum overgrowing Udawattakele Forest

Epipremnum aureum is a species of owering plant in the

family of Araceae, native in Mo'orea, French Polynesia.
The species has become naturalised in tropical and subtropical forests worldwide, include Northern Australia 3 Toxicity
through Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan and as far as
Hawaii and West Indies[2][3] . where it has caused severe The plant is listed as toxic to cats, toxic to dogs" by the
ecological damage in some cases (see below). The plant ASPCA, because of the presence of insoluble raphides.
1

EXTERNAL LINKS

Care should be taken to ensure the plant is not consumed

by pets. Symptoms may include oral irritation, vomiting,
and diculty swallowing.[7]

[8] "'W. De Costa, H. Hitanayake and I. Dharmawardena, A

Physiological Investigation into the Invasive Behaviour of
Some Plant Species in a Mid-Country Forest Reserve in
Sri Lanka"" (PDF). JNSFSL, 2001, 29 (1 & 2):3550. Retrieved 2009-03-11.

[9] USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service). Plants

Prole

Invasive Species

E. aureum can become a highly invasive species when introduced into tropical countries where it is not native. In
Sri Lanka it overgrows several hectares of the Udawatta
Kele Sanctuary in Kandy.[8] Having no natural enemies, it
completely overgrows the forest oor as well as the trunks
of trees, causing severe ecological disruption.
It also invades the Kurulukele Forest Reserve in Kegalla
and other places where it has been planted as a decorative
plant, or to hold steep banks along roads. It is on the
USDA list for Florida Exotic Pest Control Council list
1999 as an invasive species.,[9]

See also
Jade plant (also referred to as money tree)
Annual honesty (also referred to as money plant)

References

[1] Epipremnum aureum (Linden & Andr) G.S.Bunting. In:

The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ [2015-2-28].
[2] Epipremnum aureum. In: Govaerts, R. (2015). World
Checklist of Araceae. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://apps.
kew.org/wcsp/ Retrieved 2015-2-28.
[3] Epipremnum aureum (Linden & Andr) G.S.Bunting.
In: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network
- (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm
Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http:
//www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?461402
(28 February 2015)
[4] Wolverton, B. C. How To Grow Fresh Air, Penguin Books,
New York, 1997.
[5] Ayako Sawada, Takashi Oyabu, Purication characteristics of pothos for airborne chemicals in growing conditions
and its evaluation, Atmospheric Environment, Volume 42,
Issue 3, January 2008, Pages 594-602, ISSN 1352-2310,
doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.10.028.
[6] "Epipremnum aureum ". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
[7] Devils Ivy. ASPCA.org. Retrieved 2009-03-11.

7 External links
Pothos Production Guide - discusses care of this
plant
TED video - Kamal Meattle on How to Grow Your
Own Fresh Air slides

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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