Scindapsus
The scindapsus genus is often mistaken for the epipremnum, a plant from the same family. the only way to tell is to check seed production of each plant; scindapsus has one ovule in each ovary whereas epipremnum has more.
Description
One of the most popular varieties is scindapsus pictus, otherwise known as ‘silver vine.’ This indoor plant features deep green leaves with distinctive white/silver edges and markings on the leaf surface itself.
Habitat
Scindapsus is native to the Solomon Islands in South East Asia and grows naturally in dense tropical rainforests. Although it grows from the ground, it thrives due to its prolific light-seeking abilities which enable it to grow quickly towards any source of light.
Availability
The scindapsus genus is a climbing vine variety of plant and is available for most of the year. When it flowers it grows a short spadix suspended by a green spathe.
Species
The scindapsus genus features between 20 and 25 separate species and belongs to the araceae family, which are arums. As well as pictus, there are several other species that are particularly sought after for indoor uses: aureus, borneenis, latifolius, lucens and pothoides.
Care Tips
Scindapsus requires only the very minimum of care. It does not require any special type of soil or feeding and it can be planted in almost any type of container. Only moderate watering is needed and it can be kept clean by spraying occasionally with lukewarm water. It can be trained to grow either upwards or downwards and trimmed as required, without causing any problem to its growth.
Did You Know?
NASA research, carried out by the botanist B.C. Wolverton, has placed scindapsus plants in the top ten house plants for purifying air, which they do by absorbing harmful air particles.
Scindapsus is also known as devil’s ivy or ‘photos’ due to the fact that it grows naturally in shaded places, but has an exceptional ability to grow quickly towards even minimal sources of light.
