Satin pothos
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Forgiving Among the more tolerant plants here.
Also called Silk Pothos and Silver Pothos.
Satin pothos is toxic
- Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Insoluble calcium oxalates. Clinical signs: Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing. ASPCA
- Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Insoluble calcium oxalates. Clinical signs: Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing. ASPCA
- Toxic to people. Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and eyes. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drained or Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- ToxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- ToxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and eyes. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Crisp margins that appear in winter
The satin pothos shows browning on many leaf blades at once, all at the margin, with no spots or soft patches anywhere.
The edges fail first because they are the end of the plumbing. Penn State Extension cites 30% to 60% as the recommended indoor range, and winter heating regularly takes a room under it.
Telling it apart: Look at the pot rim and the soil surface. A white crust points at a build-up from tap water or feed rather than at the air. Penn State also reports misting and pebble trays do little to the humidity around a plant.
Penn State ExtensionSatin pothos brown leaf tips and edges: causes- Soft yellow leaves low on the plant, soil still wet
A sour smell from the compost is common on a satin pothos, and the leaves nearest the soil come away when pulled. The surface may look dry while everything beneath it is not.
Its source calls for soil that is moist but well-drained or well-drained. Past that, water in the pot displaces the air the roots need, and damaged roots then fail to supply the leaf blades above them.
Telling it apart: Whether the compost has dried at all since the last watering. A pot that has not dried in a fortnight is answering the question on its own.
RHSSatin pothos leaves turning yellow: causes- Whitened areas where the sun falls longest
The satin pothos shows pale, dry patches only where direct sun reaches, often with a sharp edge between damaged and healthy tissue.
Its source names full sun, so the light itself is not the fault. Foliage that formed in a dimmer room is thinner than foliage grown in sun, and the side turned suddenly to strong light bleaches before it can adjust.
Telling it apart: The edge of the damage. Scorch has a sharp boundary; rot and infection have a soft, spreading one.
RHSDiagnose leaf drop on this Satin pothos
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Satin pothos.
Routine care
- Watering
- During growth, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser. At other times water sparingly.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- While growing, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertilizer.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Stem cuttings can be used to propagate it.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase from stem cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Usually free of pests and diseases.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Scindapsus pictus, commonly called satin pothos, silver pothos, or silver vine, is a species of flowering plant in the aroid or arum family, Araceae, native to Bangladesh, Borneo, India, Java, Peninsular Malaysia, the Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Taiwan and Thailand. The Latin specific epithet pictus means "painted", referring to the variegation on the leaves.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- SE. Bangladesh to W. & C. MalesiaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Southeast Bangladesh, West and Central MalesiaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026SE Bangladesh to W & Central MalesiaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- climberWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Perennial, Vine; habit cascading, climbingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Climbing, Trailing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 36–120 in; width 24–48 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1-1.5 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers green, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Satin pothos
Other Scindapsus
More of the Araceae family
Arrowhead plantEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
Calla lilyEdges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
Dumb caneLeaf tips go crisp and brown
Elephant earCrisp margins that appear in winter
Flamingo flowerBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Heartleaf philodendronA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Plants with similar care
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.