Pothos vs. Philodendron: What's the Difference?

Vine varieties of pothos and philodendrons are arguably some of the most popular houseplants, and ironically they are often confused with each other.

Although they are similar and have many of the same growing habits and requirements, they are different plants with different characteristics and needs.

Once you know what to look for, they are easily distinguished from one another.

There are many varieties of pothos and philodendrons that look alike. The general guidelines outlined here will help you identify any species of pothos or creeping philodendron with ease.

Differences between pothos and philodendrons

There are several important differences between pothos (also commonly called "Devil's Ivy") and vine philodendrons that can help differentiate them.

These include their taxonomy, their leaf shape and texture, their aerial roots and petioles, their growth habit and new leaves, and their growth needs.

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the branch of science that deals with the classification of groups of biological organisms and is the way in which plants are named and organized into genera and families.

Essentially, it is concerned with botanical nomenclature.

Pothos and philodendrons are two separate and distinct plants that belong to separate genera. Pothos belongs to the genus Epipremnum and philodendron belongs to the genus Philodendron.

However, they exist in the same family, as pothos and philodendron belong to the aroid plant family (Araceae).

Leaf shape and texture

One of the easiest ways to differentiate pothos and philodendrons is through their leaves. Philodendrons have more heart-shaped leaves that are thinner and have a smooth texture.

Pothos, on the other hand, have larger, thicker, and waxy leaves.

These leaf differences are especially noticeable in the area where the petiole connects to the base of the leaf.

While the base of a pothos leaf is relatively straight, the base of a philodendron leaf is dramatically curved inward and is shaped like the top of a heart.

Aerial roots and petioles

Differences can also be observed between aerial roots and petioles of pothos versus aerial roots and petioles of philodendrons.

Both pothos and philodendrons have aggressive aerial roots that allow them to climb and climb surfaces. However, pothos (pictured right) has only one large aerial root per node, while philodendrons (pictured left) can have several smaller aerial roots per node and tend to look wilder and untamed.

Petioles are the small stems that connect the leaves to the main stems of the plant. Due to differences in growth habits, pothos has petioles that are set back towards the stem to which they attach, while philodendrons have completely rounded petioles.

The petioles of the philodendron also tend to be thinner than the petioles of the pothos.

Growth habits and new leaves

Another way to differentiate between pothos and philodendrons is to look for the presence of cataphiles.

When new leaves grow on a philodendron, they emerge from the cataphiles, which are essentially small leaves that wrap around and protect the new leaf as it grows.

They usually remain on the plant after the new leaf is unrolled, eventually drying out and falling off. Pothos doesn't grow new leaves that way.

Instead of emerging from the cataphiles, the new leaves of pothos plants simply grow and unwind from the previous leaf.

Growing differences

It's true that pothos and philodendrons have very similar needs when it comes to light, soil, water, and temperature, and both are considered low-maintenance houseplants.

However, there are some minor differences that are useful to know about.

While pothos and philodendrons can tolerate low light, pothos tolerates low light more easily than philodendrons.

Philodendrons will become leggy more quickly than pothos and will start to have very small leaves if they don't get enough light. Pothos, on the other hand, become long-legged more slowly and their leaf size remains relatively unchanged in low light.

Pothos is also slightly easier to propagate by cuttings than philodendrons and is more drought-tolerant.

We hope you enjoy watching this video about Philodendron & Pothos: Spot the differences:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb5RZ7XMC5Q&t=34s

Source: PLANTERINA

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