Epipremnum aureum 'N'Joy'

NJOY’s beginning near Mumbai

‘NJOY’ arose in 2002 among plants descended from ‘Marble Queen’ near Mumbai, India. One branch showed a different arrangement of green and pale tissue, and plants grown from it kept the same pattern.

Epipremnum aureum comes from Mo‘orea. In the island’s wet forests, ground-level stems become tree-climbing vines, and their leaves enlarge as they ascend.

Care for supported aroid vines

• Light: Place Epipremnum ‘N’Joy in bright, indirect light and protect its white margins from hot midday sun. Its small leaves and the short spaces between them are natural cultivar traits, so compact growth alone is not a sign that it needs stronger light or more fertilizer.
• Watering: Let the upper portion of the rootball dry before watering fully. A densely planted pot can stay moist in the centre, so check below the surface and drain all excess water.
• Temperature and humidity: Keep the vine warm in steady indoor warmth, clear of cold draughts, cold floors and radiators. A little more humidity can make unfurling easier.
• Feeding: Apply a dilute complete fertilizer during visible growth. The compact habit needs no heavy feeding, and excess salts can damage roots or pale leaf margins.
• Training: Let stems trail for the typical compact form, or guide each node, the leaf-bearing joint on the stem, against a textured support. Keep ties loose, position them between leaves and leave every leaf stalk free.

Troubleshooting Epipremnum aureum 'N'Joy': normal changes and damage

• Browning on white margins: Crisp browning on pale edges can follow a dry rootball, direct heat or sudden strong sun. Correct the exposure or water supply and leave a narrow dry margin when trimming for appearance. Wet or expanding damage needs inspection for cold injury, rot or leaf disease.
• Small leaves and short gaps between nodes: Compact growth is a natural N’Joy trait, not automatic stunting. A problem is more likely when new growth becomes progressively smaller and weak while the gaps between nodes lengthen, roots decline or pests appear. Compare with the plant's earlier growth before changing feeding.
• Silver scars on distorted leaves: Thrips can hide around N’Joy’s close nodes and feed inside folded leaves. Silvered tracks, black droppings and repeated malformed new leaves separate feeding from the cultivar's naturally compact habit. Inspect tight growth and remove badly damaged leaves. Apply a thrips control whose label permits indoor ornamentals. Reach folded leaves and close nodes and repeat at the stated interval to catch later stages.
• Waxy, sticky or stippled foliage: White cottony insects suggest mealybugs, attached covers suggest scale, and stippling with webbing suggests mites. Search leaf undersides and node crevices. Isolate the plant and remove accessible insects. Choose a control labelled for the pest and for houseplants. Before wider treatment, test it on one white area as the label directs. If the tissue remains unmarked, cover node crevices and leaf undersides and repeat only at the stated interval.

Epipremnum aureum 'N'Joy' is not safe for people or pets to chew

• This plant is toxic to humans, cats and dogs if ingested.
• Leaves and stems contain needle-like, insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing can cause immediate burning mouth pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian after pet exposure or a medical professional after human exposure, especially if swelling or breathing trouble occurs.

Who first published 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.