Also encountered as: Argyraeus
Historical botanical names: Pothos argyraea, Scindapsus argyraeus, Scindapsus pictus var. argyraeus
Genus: Scindapsus
Species: Scindapsus pictus
Naming status: Horticultural name with documented botanical history
Found: Bangladesh, Borneo, Java, Malaya, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra and Thailand - species range; exact origin of the historical argyraeus material not documented
“Argyraeus” is a horticultural name used for a recognizable form of Scindapsus pictus, generally characterized by relatively small, dark-green, ovate leaves marked with silver spotting across the upper surface.
The name has a documented botanical history dating to the nineteenth century. Pothos argyraea was published by J. Veitch f. in 1859, later recombined as Scindapsus argyraeus by Adolf Engler in 1879, and subsequently treated as Scindapsus pictus var. argyraeus. These historical names are now treated as synonyms of Scindapsus pictus.
Historical botanical literature also discussed argyraeus as a juvenile form of Scindapsus pictus rather than as a distinct species.
Today, “Argyraeus” remains widely used horticulturally as Scindapsus pictus ‘Argyraeus’, including by the Royal Horticultural Society. What remains insufficiently documented is whether the modern horticultural plant called “Argyraeus” is directly traceable to the historical botanical material described under the name argyraeus.
Variegated Greens classification: Horticultural name with documented botanical history.
Research current as of September 2026.