Species · genus Epipremnum · Araceae

Centipede Tongavine

Epipremnum pinnatum (L.) Engl.

Also known as: Tongavine · Pothos · Variegated-philodendron · Dragon-tail · Dragon-tail Plant

Growth habit

climber

Native range

Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, Caroline Is., China South-Central, China Southeast, Cook Is., Fiji, Hainan, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Marshall Is., Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Northern Territory, Philippines, Queensland, Samoa, Santa Cruz Is., Solomon Is., Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis-Futuna Is.

Reference · E. pinnatum

Cultivars of E. pinnatum

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under E. pinnatum yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A tropical climbing aroid that scrambles up trees across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, rooting along the stem as it goes. It wants warmth, bright indirect light, and a chunky, free-draining mix; water when the top inch or two of the mix has dried out, since its roots rot if kept constantly wet. A moss pole or support encourages its natural climbing habit and larger, fenestrated leaves.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–30 °C

Soil mix

Chunky, well-draining aroid mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings rooted in water or mix

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Araceae contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate the mouth and digestive tract if chewed. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Centipede Tongavine yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.