Pothos (Epipremnum aurem), also known as devils ivy, are popular tropical vining plants. They are easy to care for and can be grown all year round indoors. If you wish to grow them outdoors, they prefer hardiness zones 10 – 12. Luckily for all house plant keepers, a few other plants are out there that resemble pothos’ eye-catching appearance.
Contents
- 1. Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum)
- 2. Hoya (Hoya carnosa)
- 3. Heart Leaf Fern (Hemionitis Arifolia)
- 4. Cupid Peperomia (Peperomia Scandens ‘Variegata’)
- 5. Variegated Arrowhead Vine (Syngonium podophyllum albo-variegatum)
- 6. Silver Monstera (Monstera siltepecana)
- 7. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
- 8. Prayer Plant (Maranta Leuconceura)
The most distinguishing features of pothos are their evergreen nature, with lovely waxy heart-shaped leaves often variegated in white, pale green, and yellow depending on the variant. Their leaves can grow up to 4 inches indoors and up to 30 inches outdoors. Their vines can trail 6 – 8 feet if grown indoors and 20 – 40 feet long if grown outdoors.
Their appearance is a sought-after household accessory, giving natural beauty to whatever room you decide to place them in. But luckily for plant lovers, they are not alone, and other plants are out there that resemble pothos.
No two plants are ever the same, but they can share some distinguishable similarities in their coloration, leaf appearance, and vining nature. Let’s look at some of the other plants out there that look like pothos.
1. Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum)
Heartleaf philodendrons are also tropical vining plants that are an excellent option for indoor growing. Preferring hardiness zones 10 – 11, these easy to care for plants are evergreen, and just like pothos, they are part of the larger aroid family Araceae.
The similarities between pothos and heartleaf philodendrons start with their vining nature and evergreen leaves. The leaves appear very similar, but the heartleaf philodendrons leaves are more heart-shaped and darker green with no variegation.
Their flowers are also similar in shape and coloration. Both have yellow spikes that are tubular with oval-shaped, single structures surrounding them. Although pothos rarely flowers indoors and heartleaf philodendron flowers are more white than yellow if grown outdoors.
2. Hoya (Hoya carnosa)
Hoya is an evergreen plant referred to as the wax plant. It also hails from tropical regions and can be grown as a vine or trailing plant with relatively low maintenance. It will grow 2 – 4 feet long indoors and around 12 – 20 feet outdoors in hardiness zones 10 – 12.
The waxy nature, shape, and color of its leaves make it look similar to a pothos. Hoya flowers are very different from the pothos, producing orange, burgundy, yellow, pink, near black, and white clusters that hold as many as 40 tiny individual flowers.
3. Heart Leaf Fern (Hemionitis Arifolia)
Heart leaf ferns are tropical dwarf ferns. They are pretty different from your typical fern with their heart-shaped leaves, making them look similar to a pothos plant. Their dark green leaves grow around 2 – 3 inches long and on stems that reach a length of 6 – 8 inches.
The leaves and stems have a waxy look, similar to some pothos varieties. Unfortunately, this fern does not produce any flowers. Instead, it releases spores into the air during the springtime. Some ferns are edible.
4. Cupid Peperomia (Peperomia Scandens ‘Variegata’)
Cupid peperomia plants are tropical evergreen trailing plants great for hanging baskets. Their heart-shaped thick and fleshy green leaves have white along the edges, making them appear very similar to pothos.
They can be grown indoors anywhere as long as you provide them with the right indoor environment, and they will survive outdoors in hardiness zones 10 – 12. These plants will only rarely flower indoors, but if you are lucky enough to get one to flower, you can expect spindly spikes of greenish-white and brown flowers.
5. Variegated Arrowhead Vine (Syngonium podophyllum albo-variegatum)
The variegated arrowhead vine is a tropical evergreen climbing or trailing vine. It produces beautiful dark green leaves with white, or lime green with bright pink, making it look similar to a pothos plant. If you keep it indoors, it can be grown all year round but will only succeed in hardiness zones 10 – 12 outdoors.
Arrowhead vines rarely flower indoors, but they produce greenish-white flowers that turn into black-brown berries on rare occasions. The plant can grow up to 3 – 6 feet long, whether in a basket or climbing a trellis.
When the plants are still young, they make leaves that are more egg-shaped than arrow-shaped with heart-shaped bases. They start to produce leaves that typically resemble an arrow as they get older.
6. Silver Monstera (Monstera siltepecana)
Silver monstera is a tropical evergreen that is also part of the larger Araceae family. The leaves of this plant are lance-shaped, and their color is grey-green with dark green veins, making it look similar to a pothos plant. They reach a typical height of 4 feet under ideal conditions.
If grown outdoors, the silver monster prefers hardiness zones 9b – 11. When grown indoors, these plants do not flower very often. If you get them to produce flowers, they will make a spike of tiny flowers which arrange themselves around a fleshy axis, and these flowers will have a large sheathing bract enclosing them.
7. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
English ivy is an evergreen climbing vine. It has dark green glossy leaves in the shape of pears, the margins of the leaf are white, and the underneath of the leaf is lighter than the top. This plant looks quite similar to a pothos and is an excellent option for planting in a hanging basket.
English ivy is grown primarily for its fantastic evergreen leaves, but it does produce small insignificant greenish-white or greenish-yellow flowers. Before planting this plant, one thing to bear in mind is that it is considered invasive in many areas of Northern America. Before you decide on this plant, ensure that your location does not regard it as invasive.
8. Prayer Plant (Maranta Leuconceura)
The prayer plant is a highly distinguishable tropical evergreen plant. They prefer hardiness zones 11 – 12, and they will grow 6 – 12 inches tall and wide.
Its leaves are variegated oval-shaped, remain flat during the day, and fold at night. The tops of the leaves have spots whose color will depend on the variety but range from green, light green, dark grey, or brownish. The underneath of the leaves range in color from light green to a deep red, and the topside of the leaves are green and shiny, with white veins.
The prayer plant does not flower very often indoors, but if it does decide to give you some flowers, you can expect them in spring, and they will be small and white.
