Syngonium podophyllum 'Roxanne'

The natural habit behind ‘Roxanne’

The cream-centred cultivar is derived from Syngonium podophyllum, a wet-tropical vine found from Mexico southwards across tropical America. Aerial roots allow wild stems to attach as they climb.

‘Roxanne’ shares this flexible growth. The changing cream panels and green margins belong to the horticultural selection.

Care for Syngonium ‘Roxanne’

Protecting cream centres

Bright indirect light supports the dark green margin and keeps the cream or mint centre clear. Direct sun can brown the pale panel, and low light stretches the flexible stems. Let them trail or guide them up a slim support, depending on the preferred growth.

Watering by the condition of the mix

After the top 2 to 3 cm dries, water the full root ball and let it drain. Mix coir or peat with small bark pieces and perlite. It should hold some moisture and still drain freely. Check the pot weight because pale leaf tissue can show similar brown edges after drought and root stress.

Warmth and long-term maintenance

Keep the plant at 18 to 27°C with humidity around 40 to 60%, avoiding temperatures below 15°C. Feed modestly as the plant makes fresh leaves. Shorten long stems above a node, and use healthy sections for propagation. Wait until the container is thoroughly rooted before moving up a size. Take cuttings from a shoot that has produced a clear cream centre and strong green margins on several leaves.

Common problems with ‘Roxanne’

• The cream centre changes width: Natural variation is expected from leaf to leaf. A pale panel that turns dry and brown may have received direct sun or suffered a sharp dry spell.
• Stems become long and sparse: Provide brighter indirect light or guide the vine onto a support. Prune above a node if new branching is needed near the pot.
• Leaves droop in a damp container: Test the drainage and examine the root ball for dark softened sections. Remove damaged roots, use fresh porous substrate, and water fully only when the pot is light and dry.
• Fine scars cross the pale panel: Thrips often leave silver damage and black specks. Mites make fine pale dots. Cottony material points to mealybugs, and hard stationary bumps suggest scale. Separate the vine and treat the organism you find.
• Soft areas enlarge: Separate the plant, keep foliage dry, increase airflow and remove heavily marked leaves cleanly.

Syngonium podophyllum ‘Roxanne’ 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.

When was Syngonium podophyllum first published, and what does it mean?

The name Syngonium comes from Greek words meaning “together” and “reproductive organs”, referring to the united ovaries in its flowers. The species name podophyllum means “foot-leaved”, a reference to the foot-like arrangement of mature leaf divisions.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Syngonium in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, volume 3, page 780.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott first described Syngonium podophyllum in 1851 in Botanische Zeitung (Berlin), volume 9, page 85.