Philodendron vs Pothos: Telling Them Apart, and Which to Buy

Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) and golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) are both climbing aroids from tropical America and Southeast Asia respectively, both grown as trailing houseplants, both sold in the same hanging pots, and both frequently labelled with the other's name. Neither is a scindapsus, which is a third genus sold in the same section and confused with both.

Since their care overlaps heavily, a mix-up rarely does harm. But the differences are real enough to matter when you are choosing a plant for a specific position, and being able to identify what you own is useful when a care guide gives conflicting advice.

The good news is that three physical features distinguish them absolutely, and none requires a flower or a mature plant.

Start with the new growth, which is the clearest test. Philodendrons produce each new leaf inside a cataphyll — a small papery sheath that protects the developing leaf, unfurls as it opens, and then dries to a brown papery wisp that hangs on the stem for weeks. Pothos has no cataphyll at all; a new pothos leaf emerges directly from the previous leaf's petiole. If you can see brown papery remnants along the stem, it is a philodendron.

Second, feel the petiole — the stalk between stem and leaf. On pothos it is grooved, with a distinct channel running along its upper surface. On philodendron it is round in cross-section. Run a fingernail along it and the difference is unmistakable.

Third, look at the leaf itself. Pothos leaves are thicker, waxier, glossier and slightly asymmetric, with one side of the heart a little fuller than the other. Philodendron leaves are thinner, softer, more matte, and symmetrical, with a more pronounced point and a deeper, more elegant notch at the base.

One further clue: new philodendron growth is often bronze, coppery or pinkish before hardening to green, whereas new pothos leaves come out light green and stay that way. And philodendron aerial roots tend to emerge as several thin roots per node, while pothos produces one thicker nub.

Both want bright indirect light, water when the top few centimetres are dry, a free-draining mix, feeding at half strength in the growing season, and something to climb if you want larger leaves. That covers nine-tenths of what either needs.

The differences appear at the margins, and they are worth knowing because they map onto real rooms.

Philodendron tolerates low light slightly better and dry air noticeably better. Its thinner leaves are more comfortable in a heated room in winter, and it holds its colour in a dimmer position. In a genuinely dark corner, a plain green philodendron will look better after six months than a pothos will.

Pothos tolerates drought better. Its thicker, waxier leaves hold more water and it wilts, forgives and recovers more readily from a forgotten fortnight. It also has far more variegated cultivars, so if you want a marbled or white-blocked plant, pothos offers the choice.

Pothos is also faster in good light, and slightly tougher about cold. Philodendron is more sensitive below about 13°C.

Two more genera are sold alongside these and mistaken for both, and it is worth being able to place them.

Scindapsus pictus — satin pothos — is neither a pothos nor a philodendron. It has thick matte leaves with a silvery sheen and silver blotching, and it is one of the most attractive plants in the group. Care is essentially identical to pothos, and it is slightly slower.

Rhaphidophora tetrasperma, sold as mini monstera, has split leaves and belongs to yet another genus. It is faster than any of them and wants brighter light.

Among philodendrons themselves, the heartleaf type is one of many. Philodendron 'Brasil' is the variegated heartleaf; 'Micans' is the velvet-leaved form and one of the loveliest houseplants there is; and the upright self-heading philodendrons — 'Birkin', 'Xanadu', 'Congo' — are the same genus with a completely different growth habit and no trailing at all.

None of these substitutions matters much for care. All of them want the same broad conditions, and none of them is difficult.

For a first houseplant, or for someone who wants something that will survive being ignored, take the pothos. It is faster, cheaper, more widely available, more forgiving of a missed watering, and it offers the variegated cultivars most people are actually after.

For a dark room, a dry heated flat, or a position where the plant needs to look good rather than merely survive, take the heartleaf philodendron — and if you can find it, Philodendron 'Micans', whose velvet leaves are a genuine step up in appearance for no extra difficulty.

For a shelf where the plant will be seen close up, Scindapsus pictus is the best-looking of the three and no harder than either.

And if you already own one and do not know which it is, check the petiole. The answer takes two seconds and does not change what you should do next, which is the most honest summary of this comparison.