Volume 11 > Part 2 > Year 2012 > Page 233 > Araceae > Epipremnum

1. Epipremnum aureum (Linden & André) G.S.Bunting

Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 50: 28. 1964, ‘1963’; Boyce, Aroideana 27: 207–209. 2004.— Pothos aureus Linden & André, Ill. Hort. 27: 69. 1880.— Scindapsus aureus (Linden & André) Engl. in A. Engl., Pflanzenr. IV, 23B (Heft 37): 80. 1908.— Rhaphidophora aurea (Linden & André) Birdsey, Baileya 10: 159. 1963, ‘1962’.— R. aurea (Linden & André) Furtado, Gard. Bull. Singapore 20: 379. 1964, comb. superfl.

Accepted Name : This is currently accepted.

Synonyms & Citations :

Description : Very large root-climbing secondary hemiepiphyte to 16 m. Stem (adult) 5–40 mm diam., with prominent irregular whitish longitudinal crests, active portions of stem mid-green to pale yellow-green, sometimes with large obscure dull yellow to white variegations, depending on leaf variegation, older stems with distinctive matte to sub-lustrous orange-brown papery epidermis; flagellate foraging shoots common, arising high in the canopy and reaching the ground. Leaves scattered on lower stem, becoming clustered distally; petiole 19.5–50 cm by 3–15 mm, canaliculate, smooth, mid-green to rather bright yellow-green, apical and basal pulvini barely greater in diameter than petiole; petiolar sheath extending to mid-way along apical geniculum, at first submembranaceous, soon drying chartaceous and degrading to untidy, slightly netted weak fibres, then falling to leave a smooth, mid-brown scar; leaf blade 10–93 by 5–60 cm, entire (juvenile) to irregularly pinnatifid, ovate to elliptic in outline, sub-coriaceous, apex acute to acuminate, base moderately cordate, divisions pinnatifid to pinnatipartite; pinnae up to half the length of the lamina wide, apex truncate, dull to somewhat glossy mid-green, usually irregularly yellow or white variegated, rarely entirely mid-green; pinnae each with 1 (very rarely more except for the terminal pinna) compound primary lateral vein and several to rather many interprimary veins, individual elements of the compound vein diverging at ca 10° from various points along the pinna; interprimary and secondary venation mostly remaining sub-parallel to compound primary vein; higher order venation reticulate. Inflorescences almost never produced.

Thailand : Widespread as a cultivated plant, frequently seminaturalized.

Distribution : French Polynesia, but now cultivated and frequently naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions. For a discussion of the synonomy see Boyce, Aroideana 27, 199–205. 2004.

Ecology : Wet hill forests; ca 500 m alt.

Vernacular : Phlu chang (พลูช้าง), phlu dang (พลูด่าง), phlu farang (พลูฝรั่ง), rachini hin on (ราชินีหินอ่อน).

CommonName : Golden Pothos, Taro vine

Uses: Ornamental.

Notes: The type description of Pothos aureus states that the original plant came to Linden’s nursery from the Solomon Islands, but this cannot be substantiated; certainly plants equating to Epipremnum aureum have been collected as wild plants in the Solomon Islands. The wild provenance of E. aureum was recently resolved, however, following examination of the type of Nadeaud’s Epipremnum mooreense, a plant collected from natural forest on Moorea (French Polynesia) and which is clearly identical with E. aureum as here defined. The type of E. mooreense is of the non-variegated form and it seems likely that the golden variegated form introduced into cultivation in the 19th century was collected as a horticultural selection. Such selections are common among 19th century plant introductions (e.g. Codiaeum, Polyscias, etc.) at a time when plant hunters were often seeking horticultural novelties and furthermore frequently gave intentionally misleading information as to the origin of a potentially important new horticultural introduction.