The common houseplant known as Pothos is a member of the aroid family. This popular vine, often called Golden Pothos or Devil’s Ivy, is botanically classified as Epipremnum aureum. The confusion over its name and classification stems from its complex naming history and wide cultivation. Its identity is firmly rooted in the Araceae family, placing it alongside other houseplants like Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. Understanding the characteristics of this plant group confirms why Epipremnum aureum is considered an aroid.
What Defines the Araceae Family
The Araceae family, also known as the aroids or the arum family, is a large and diverse group of flowering plants encompassing over 140 genera and approximately 3,750 known species. Most members of this family are monocots found predominantly in the understory of tropical and subtropical regions. Many aroids exhibit unique growth habits, often growing as epiphytes—plants that grow on other plants non-parasitically—or as hemiepiphytes, which root in the ground but also climb.
The unifying feature defining all members of the Araceae family is their unique inflorescence structure. This specialized reproductive part is composed of two components: a central, rod-like spike called the spadix, and a modified leaf, or bract, that surrounds it called the spathe. The spadix is densely covered with tiny flowers, and the spathe protects these reproductive structures and often helps attract pollinators. The presence of this specific spadix-and-spathe arrangement confirms a plant’s membership in the Araceae family.
Pothos Placement in the Aroid Family
The common houseplant referred to as “Pothos” is scientifically known as Epipremnum aureum, and its name reflects a history of taxonomic revision. When the plant was first described in 1880, botanists mistakenly classified it in the genus Pothos, naming it Pothos aureus, which is the source of its enduring common name. The genus Pothos does exist, and its species are also aroids, but they are distinct from the common houseplant.
The classification was corrected in 1964 by George S. Bunting, who moved it to the genus Epipremnum after examining a rare flowering specimen. This reclassification was based on morphological differences in the flower and adult leaf structure that distinguished it from the true Pothos genus and similar aroid vines, such as Scindapsus. Regardless of the genus, all these groups belong firmly within the Araceae family, confirming the plant’s status as an aroid. The common name, Golden Pothos, serves as a reminder of its original, incorrect scientific designation.
Physical Characteristics Confirming Aroid Status
The physical structure of Epipremnum aureum provides evidence of its aroid classification, even when grown indoors. As a vining plant, it exhibits the hemiepiphytic growth habit common to many tropical aroids, utilizing stems that can climb up to 20 meters in the wild. Climbing is facilitated by aerial roots produced along the stem nodes, which are specialized for adhesion and for absorbing moisture and nutrients.
Another biological trait linking it to the Araceae family is its inflorescence structure, even though cultivated plants rarely flower. When it does flower, it produces the characteristic aroid structure: a cream-colored spathe surrounding a small spadix. Finally, the plant’s tissues contain calcium oxalate crystals, known as raphides, which are a chemical defense mechanism found in nearly all aroids. These needle-shaped crystals cause irritation when ingested and represent a shared physiological trait.