Golden Pothos – Plant Care Guide

Golden vs. Marble Queen vs. Neon Pothos

Some species of pothos can be difficult to tell apart, especially since coloring and pattern can change depending on environmental conditions. Golden pothos typically have green heart-shaped leaves with yellow or golden variegations. In fact, the “aureum” part of its scientific name means “golden.” In lower-light situations, there may be fewer or no golden flecks that are visible.

Golden pothos are easy to confuse with two other popular varieties of pothos: marble queen pothos and neon pothos. We have all three of these varieties in our home and even our plant identifier apps get them wrong sometimes! They all have similar, heart-shaped leaves but their colorings differ slightly, as you can see here:

Marble queen pothos leaves tend to be darker green with white or cream variegations (aka, less yellow). The marble queens we own also tend to have a higher concentration of variegation on each leaf.

Neon pothos tend to be a brighter, more “neon” green without variegation. These can be difficult to distinguish from golden pothos plants without heavy variegation patterns, especially because any new growth tends to have that bright neon color!