Epipremnum aureum 'Jungle Star' ('Marble green')

Origin and background of Epipremnum aureum 'Jungle Star' ('Marble green')

Mo‘orea is the native home of Epipremnum aureum. Its creeping stems root as they cross the wet forest floor, and broken sections can grow into new vines. Because broken stems root so readily, the species now grows wild in many tropical regions beyond the island.

Care for supported aroid vines

• Light: Epipremnum ‘Jungle Star’ develops dense growth in bright, indirect light, where its green-on-green marbling remains easy to see. The green-on-green leaves need adequate light; deep shade slows growth and water use.
• Watering: Rewater when the upper root zone has dried while the deeper portion retains some moisture. Wet the rootball evenly and let all excess water escape.
• Temperature and humidity: Keep the vine in stable indoor warmth, clear of cold sills, draughts and direct radiator heat. Slightly higher humidity can help new leaves open and aerial roots attach.
• Climbing: The vine can trail with small, unsplit leaves or attach to a textured pole or board. Secure each node, where a leaf joins the stem, against the surface so its aerial roots can attach.
• Pruning and propagation: Shorten long stems above a node and root stem sections that each include a node. If a shoot stays plain green, cut it back to a clearly mottled node.

Troubleshooting Epipremnum aureum 'Jungle Star' ('Marble green'): normal changes and damage

• Dark and light green fields: Green-on-green mottling is the plant's normal pattern. Healthy dark areas remain firm and integrated with the blade; dead black tissue becomes dry or water-soaked, may follow veins and often expands. Texture and change over time separate the normal colour from damaged tissue.
• Patches after sun or cold: A bleached, crisp area limited to the brightest side usually follows abrupt light and heat. A dark, translucent patch after cold glass, transport or a draught is chilling injury. Remove the exposure, make sure the rootball drains freely and watch for the damaged edge to stop moving. Dead tissue will not regain colour.
• Pest damage: Silver scars with black dots indicate thrips, fine stippling and webbing fit mites, and white wax or sticky sooty deposits point to mealybugs or soft scale. Search the underside, where each leaf stalk meets the vine, and the nodes. Isolate the vine and remove visible pests. Check that the control label covers both the pest and indoor use. Treat the sheltered sites and repeat only as instructed.
• Yellowing with wilt: A dry inner rootball, a pot that sheds water around the sides and firm roots point toward water shortage. A wet ball with soft roots points toward root dysfunction, cold or disease. Rehydrate the first completely; clean and repot the second without adding more water to compensate.

Epipremnum aureum ‘Jungle Star’ (‘Marble green’) is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing may cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after exposure, especially if swelling or breathing problems occur.

The history of the name Epipremnum aureum

Epipremnum combines Greek epi, meaning upon, with premnon, meaning tree trunk, referring to the way the vine attaches to a support.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Epipremnum in 1857 in Bonplandia (Hannover), volume 5, page 45.

Jean Jules Linden and Édouard-François André first described it as Pothos aureus in 1880 in L’Illustration Horticole, volume 27, page 69. George Sydney Bunting later placed it in Epipremnum as Epipremnum aureum in 1964 in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, volume 50, page 28.