As you can see from the progression of the call, it's as important to ask the right questions as it is to give accurate answers. Terms like big,small, pretty, etc. are relative, and mean different things to each person. Getting specific measurements and descriptions are important. Also, a term like "houseplant" can be misleading. There are no houseplants in nature. By definition, a houseplant is just a plant you grow in the house. The list of plants that must be grown as houseplants varies by geographical location. It was because the caller didn't know the ID, and therefore the proper growing conditions for her plant, that her plant died.
Luckily in this case, the red herring of "not a houseplant" didn't take the MG too far off track. Having looked at some of the possible plants with heart-shaped leaves:
Caladium
Catalpa
Cercidiphylllum
Cercis
Colocasia
Hexastylis
some Hydrangea species
Linden
Paulownia
Philodendron
Pothos
and combined that with 3-4", solid green leaves, and a trailing habit, there weren't too many likely candidates.
You can also see where a picture brought into the office would have yielded a quick and easy ID for a very common plant.
