Golden Pothos a.k.a. The Money Plant
Talk of aliases and the Golden Pothos comes to mind immediately! Goodness, it truly is the king of a.k.a. it seems! Yes, for Epipremnum aureum is popular by the many names of Money Plant, Golden Money Plant, Devil’s Ivy, Devil’s Vine, Golden Pothos, House Plant, Ceylon Creeper, Hunter’s Robe - and other regional names. Seriously, who would have thought that the humble Money Plant that is incredibly hard to kill, tolerates low waters and yet grows hydroponically, needs low nutrition and looks graceful in any corner of the house - sunny or shady - could be so versatile nomenclature-wise.
I believe that this plethora of names can be attributed to the many regions of the world that this plant has settled comfortably in - despite its native range being the Society Islands of French Polynesia, it has naturalized in several temperate and tropical regions of the world.
With its beauty in its leaves, Money Plant has been experimented upon extensively to yield various horticultural varieties, some of which are Marble Queen Money Plant, Marble Prince Money Plant, Neon Money Plant, N’joy Money Plant and Manjula Money Plant.
Interestingly, the plus points of the Money Plant are not restricted to its hardiness, ease of growing or aesthetics. It is also a NASA-recommended indoor air purifier. The NASA Clean Air Study showed that Epipremnum aureum could absorb benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and toluene which are common indoor air pollutants.
Perhaps that is why several people consider it lucky, as it is believed to absorb negative energy. In fact, its moniker ‘Money Plant’ has been given because it is thought to attract wealth.
Despite all its attractions, though, Money Plant has certain toxic chemicals called raphides in its leaves, and should, therefore, not be ingested by pets.
Fun fact about Money Plant
Money plant is classified as an angiosperm, which means that it should flower at least some time during its life cycle, if not frequently. However, this is the only plant in its botanical family group to never flower naturally! Yes, Money Plant is a shy-flowering plant. This is because it is genetically deficient to produce the flowering hormone Gibberellin. If Gibberellin is sprayed externally, flowering in money plant can be induced artificially.