Pothos is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae (tribe Potheae). It is native to areas from Madagascar through India, China and Southeast Asia to Australia and the southwest Pacific.
The common houseplant Epipremnum aureum, commonly known as 'pothos', was once classified under this genus.
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Description
Pothos species are evergreen climbing plants, commonly growing as hemiepiphytes in tropical forests. They have woody stems and leaves arranged in two rows along the stem. Their inflorescences consist of a spadix, which can be spherical or cylindrical.
Distribution
Pothos is native to the following regions as defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions:
Western Indian Ocean – Comoros, Madagascar, Réunion (doubtful), Seychelles
China – China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Tibet
Eastern Asia – Nansei-shoto, Taiwan
Indian Subcontinent – Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, West Himalaya
Indo-China – Andaman Is., Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nicobar Is., Thailand, Vietnam
Malesia – Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera
Papuasia – Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Is.
Australia – New South Wales, Queensland
Southwestern Pacific – Vanuatu
Species
As of October 2026, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 66 species: