To the beginner houseplant owner , Pothos and Philodendron plant life can be easygoing to put off with one another . While there ’s a divergence between a Pothos and a heart leafage Philodendron , they ’re also closely related to . So , It ’s crucial to properly identify your houseplant , so that you’re able to find the correct information to help you provide idealistic growing conditions .
Although the two plants do have a slimly similar visual aspect , there are some key remainder which will make tell them aside much more obvious . In gain to differences in their looks , these two plant life do also necessitate slightly unlike growing conditions as well .
In this article we will discourse the differences between Pothos and Heartleaf Philodendron houseplants , so you could make certain that your plant will thrive .
Pothos vs Philodendron at a glance
The best ways to severalise Pothos and Philodendrons apart is by overall shape and texture of the leave . Pothos plants have fatheaded , glistening , sometimes variegated leaves with a profoundly grooved petiole . Heartleaf Philodendron leaves will be more matte , elongated , and heart - shape , with a fluent leafstalk .
newfangled growth on a Philodendron is also likely to be a totally different colour and protect by their distinctive cataphyll . last , Pothos plants have solitary , stubby , aerial roots as react to the more ropey and bunch up aery ascendent of a Philodendron .
Pothos Vs Philodendron Overview
While Pothos and Philodendron plants belong to the same fellowship , Araceae , they do not share a genus . This is why it is n’t actually as difficult to tell them asunder as you may believe .
Pothos are among the most popular of all houseplants . They can go by many names , including : Devil ’s Ivy , Hunter ’s Robe , Money Plant , Taro Vine , and Silver Vine . These name are all referring to the same industrial plant , which isEpipremnum aureum .
Philodendron is the name of an wide and diverse genus of plants , of whichPhilodendron hederaceumbelongs . Also cognize as the Heartleaf Philodendron , this is the most common Philodendron to be confused with a Pothos due to similarity in their show .
Both of these plant are considered to be low maintenance , climbing houseplants . They each feature heart - form greens or variegated leaves on vines , and have alike care requirements .
Adding to the confusion , sometimes retailers will even mislabel these plants in the memory . This
Difference in Care Requirements
Although both flora are considered to be low criminal maintenance houseplants , there are some flimsy differences in how they would each prefer to be treated in idealistic shape .
Pothos
The common name of Devil ’s Ivy has been grant to the Pothos plant because it is notoriously surd to kill . These works can adapt to come through in almost any conditions ; from ironic grunge in low light , to a sports stadium of water in undimmed sunlight .
Pothos plant life can tolerate a small amount of direct sunshine without combust , unlike the Philodendron . However , they will digest if invest in bright direct light all day long . They are also more drought tolerant than Philodendron industrial plant are .
Their idealistic surroundings would be bright , indirect sunshine with unconstipated tearing . Since a Pothos does favour indirect light , they lean to lose their diversification in the shade as they attempt to assert more chlorophyl in the leafage . The more sunlight they recieve , the more diversification will look .
Philodendron
A Heartleaf Philodendron is better adapted for thriving in much scummy lightheaded experimental condition than Pothos are . As a issue , they do not need to lessen their diversification as much as Pothos do in the tad .
Philodendrons will burn quite well if placed in verbatim light , however . They prefer low scant conditions , with regular watering . They are also more large-minded to colder temperature than Pothos .
5 Ways To Tell The Difference Between A Philodendron And A Pothos
Although at first glance these two plant life may look alike , there are a few tell - tale difference of opinion in the parting which make it easy for an informed plant owner to state them apart .
1: Overall Shape Of The Leaves
The first place to look when you are trying to key if a vine is a Pothos or a Philodendron is at the shape of the leaves .
The leaves of a Heartshaped Philodendron typically have a more rounded and obvious pith - bod at the top , with a longer and more skinny spout - alike steer . On the other hand , pothos leaves are normally less consistent in contour , with a shorter and less pointed gratuity .
golden pothos go forth also have a well fix , recondite ridge down the centre of the leaf due to their thick and carinated leafstalk . Philodendrons miss this ridge , featuring a more matted petiole .
2:TextureOf The Leaves
The leaves of Pothos plants are shiny , look to have almost a waxed - like goal . This glazed finish creates a subtle waxy glowing as the leaves think over the sunshine .
Their leaves are also thicker , with the top being slightly raised / jolting and have got some more texture than the bottom .
Philodendron pass on on the other hired man , are much softer than the Pothos . They have a smooth matt conclusion , which does a good job at absorbing light .
3:Growth Habits And New Foliage
Another way to distinguish between the two plants is by keep their development habits . This describes the different ways in which they each sprout new leafage .
A new Pothos leaf will uncurl itself from the current last leaf on the vine . A newfangled Philodendron leaf however , extends on a bit of the vine protected by a cataphyll .
The cataphyll is basically a little modified leaf , which acts as a thin , waxy , protective layer over the soft newfangled leaf as it forms . This is a distinct Philodendron trait , so if you ’re still unsure after examining the foliage shape , this is where you should wait next .
The cataphyll will continue to photosynthesize around the new leafage help it to flourish , until the newfangled leaf is ready to produce on its own . At this point , the cataphyll will become dark-brown and papery , eventually fall off on its own .
New growth on Philodendron plant can also serve in designation , because it tend to be a slenderly different semblance than the residue of the plant . young leave will often display a more pink or brownish shade , darken to their true colour with due date .
Pothos plants will not be so fancy with their new foliage . New leaves may uncurl a slightly lighter green people of colour than the residuum of the leaves , chop-chop change to cope with with adulthood . They will not , however , emerge a completely different color .
4:Aerial Roots And Stems
Both Pothos and Philodendron works will take form aerial ( air ) origin , which are able to engross moisture and nutrients , while supporting and anchor the plants as they rise .
These aerial roots will grow from the nodes of the works , acting as small vim power plant within the vine stem turn , pulling moisture and nutrient out of the aviation to feed novel growth .
Pothos aerial roots will appear as thick black nubs , with only one per node . These can be quite fast-growing , attaching to any rough surface and sometimes leaving black marks on walls or furniture if slay . Be indisputable the keep your plant contained , unless you want it to climb .
Philodendron aerial roots are thin and more stringy , occurring in clusters . These are more likely to resemble an above - undercoat root system .
Aside from the airy root word , Pothos and Philodendron stems have some other difference as well .
Stems on Pothos plants are duncical than that of a Philodendron , usually appearing to be relatively the same gloss as the leave . Whereas Philodendron stems are somewhat more dainty look , with a brownish - orange colour .
5:The Petiole
The petiole is the curt theme which attaches the folio to the chief vine stem of the flora .
The leafstalk on a Pothos plant is thickheaded than that of the Philodendrons , with the same or just more or less lighter green colour than the rest of the leaf . This leads to the deeply grooved ridge which runs parallel with the leafage bow .
Pothos and Philodendron Variations
It can be soft to get befuddle by the many different variations of these two plant life . While both species do have multiple variations of variegate cultivars , Pothos variation are more abundant .
Pothos Variations
Pothos plantscome in many different colors and variegations , while foliage shape and growth drug abuse will remain very standardized . The most vernacular Pothos cultivar are the beautiful gold - hued Golden Pothos and and mostly greenish Jade Pothos .
Even these varieties can feature emollient patches if placed in areas with abundant sunlight . The unique Marble Queen Pothos however , features an heart - catching “ tattered ” variegation which would be hard to confuse .
Philodendron Variations
philodendron also featuremany variety of cultivar , however , there is less variegation among them .
Instead , these cultivars can vary wildly in foliage shape and growth habits . For example , it ’s almost hard to think that the Pink Princess Philodendron and Hope Plant are colligate at first coup d’oeil .
While the Ace of Spades Philodendron resemble the Heartleaf Philodendron in leaf form and growth substance abuse , it features and much dark empurpled leafage colour .
Since Philodendrons are better adapted to low light conditions , most of these cultivar will still agree their colour better than Pothos plant in fly-by-night conditions .
Conclusion
Although Pothos and the Heartleaf Philodendrons do partake in some commonality in their appearances at first glance , it becomes much easier to tell them apart with a small further inspection .
Since these plant do prosper good in slenderly dissimilar arise conditions and label from retailer can sometimes be misleading , it is crucial to have the cognition to place them on your own .
Even though some of the key feature for recognition can seem a little expert , I hope this article has serve to explicate them in a way that even a tiro plant owner can identify .
Written By
Amber Noyes was born and raised in a suburban California town , San Mateo . She holds a master ’s grade in horticulture from the University of California as well as a B vitamin in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience working on an constitutive farm , water conservation research , farmers ’ markets , and flora baby’s room , she understand what makes plants thrive and how we can well infer the connection between microclimate and plant life health . When she ’s not on the nation , Amber loves inform people of new estimate / affair related to gardening , especially constituent gardening , houseplants , and grow plant life in a small place .
