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libbyliz_gw

Looking to find some names

LibbyLiz
14 years ago

I have a split leaf plant that looks like a split leaf Monstera, but I think I was told once upon a time that it's a Pothos of some sort. Or maybe I was told it's a Philo. ???

I have a thick-leaved plant that resembles S. pictus argyraeus 'Silver Vine'. ???

What are the proper names for these two plants?

Thank you!

Comments (3)

  • LibbyLiz
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hold up! I found the tag for the second one, jammed way down into the dirt (OOPS) ~ S. pictus argyraeus 'Exotica'.

  • exoticrainforest
    14 years ago

    I think you likely have Scindapsus pictus Hassk. The species has a synonym name of Scindapsus argyraeus Engl. A synonym is simply another name described to science that has already been described. Since Scindapsus pictus was described first it is the accepted name.

    The plant is from the Philippines but takes on many forms as it grows from a juvenile to an adult. You can find photos on the net but be careful since far too many internet photos are improperly captioned. I'd look for scientific sites. affiliated with a botanical garden.

  • exoticrainforest
    14 years ago

    I'm going to do my best to keep this as non-technical as possible since I know many readers on plant forums don't like scientific answers. There is one important consideration if you do a web search for photos of your plant.

    Members of the family Araceae (aroids) are highly variable. They go through both the processes of ontogeny as well as are widely variable in nature. As simply as possible, that means they change.........a lot!

    Think of it as the natural variation and ontogeny in human beings. Ontogeny simply means the natural changes involved in the growth of a living being. When a child is born he/she looks very little like the adult form the child will eventually grow into. Besides that, there are many "forms" of humans. Our species comes in many "variations" which include racial differences, hair and eye color, height, weight, body shape and many other differences. We look at other humans all the time and never see them as a different "species" just because they don't look exactly like us. Plants are the same way.

    Your plant is found in the tribe Monstereae. Within Monstereae you'll find the genera Alloschemone, Amydrium, Epipremnum, Monstera, Rhaphidophora, Rhodospatha, Scindapsus and Stenospermation. Of these, the only one found in the American tropics is the genus Monstera. All others are primarily Asian. Virtually all members of the tribe Monstereae morph as they grow from juvenile to adult. As a result you'll find all sorts of photos of a beautiful small plant when you do a search for Scindapsus pictus or any other species in these genera. Most of us forget plants grow and mature in nature and don't always stay juvenile. Many of us find this very confusing since we're looking for a plant that doesn't look like the photos but may well be the same species.

    The plant photos commonly found on the internet are all too often the juvenile form but you appear to have at least a semi-adult specimen which has pinnatified and looks more like the genus Monstera. That's why you thought it could be a member of the genus Monstera.

    I'm attaching a link which both explains and illustrates natural variation as well as ontogeny. If you're interested, this might help.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Natural variation in aroids

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