So my wife bought this plant about three years ago. At the time it was a single leaf potted plant in this tiny little pot. About the size of a 6oz glass. I kinda took over looking after it because it almost died. Over time it got bigger so I upgraded it to a bigger pot. I bought a stand for it and moved it to a bigger window. Now this thing has grown HUGE and it is spilling out of the pot and I don't know what I should do. Should I chop it up? How do I chop it up safely? Should I move it outside? How do I replant it outside? I have no idea what type of plant it is. My wife thinks it is an elephant ear. I have no idea. I just watered it, made sure it got sun, pulled off its dead leaves and added fresh soil. Otherwise, I'm a complete noob! Please help!

FYI, she bought two more! :O I think they are a different species because the coloring is a bit different. They are in the pictures to the right of the jungle. So I really need to know what they are and how to take care of them.

Its probably a Philodendrum. I don't grow many houseplants but someone will be along soon to help you out.

Your plant is a Syngonium. It is naturally a vining or trailing plant and resists staying upright without support. Many folks treat it like a hanging plant letting the vines spread over the side of the pot. That is really an aesthetic choice.

Any stem or vine can be pruned back to any length and new growth will emerge subsequently on the shortened stem starting at the node nearest where you prune it back to. The pruned off cuttings root readily in water and less easily by inserting them directly in the same pot.

Keep it inside in a sunny window such as it is year-round. The pot is a bit larger than necessary, so be careful not to overwater it. Allow the top inch of soil to dry before you water it thoroughly.

It is a pretty low maintenance plant other than needing regular pruning to keep it manageable. It doe not require humidity or fertilizer and is relatively pest-resistant.

I agree, your plant is variety of Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium podophyllum) They begin with a more upright habit but with age, begin to creep and vine. They will trail along the ground and then climb trees or other structures. Mature leaves are totally different in shape and appearance than the leaves of juvenile plants. There are many cultivars on the market nowadays with very pretty leaves.

Syngonium is a pest plant here in Florida; we have it trailing all over the ground in one area of our property, scrambling up over shrubbery and climbing trees. I won't go into this part of the yard anymore because of snakes!


It's a very popular houseplant and there are many cultivars on the market nowadays with pretty colored leaves.


This is some of the weedy plants growing in my side yard and one with colorful leaves climbing a tree:

I love the jungle look with the plant going up the tree! So pretty!

You guys are awesome. Amazed by your knowledge. I had no idea. Thank you for the advice.

If I take this guy outside and plant him next to a tree; will he do damage to the tree? Would he survive a TN winter (can get to sub 20s)? Should I just keep him inside and prune him a bit?

Sorry again for the tons of questions but trying to figure out what is best for this plant and the others in my yard. Thanks you. Again, you're awesome!

MrSeady, It likely wouldn't survive your zone 7a winters, especially if you have extended temperatures below 32ºF.

@plantmanager Karen, I'd be a multimillionaire if I could sell Arrowhead Vine!! It's highly invasive here and has taken over and killed out a bunch of saw palmettos on our property. We really need to hire someone to come out and clear the weedy areas and try to get rid of all the Syngonium and other invasives. We have a very large Staghorn Fern growing on a dead pine tree in the back corner of the yard. We had the top of the tree removed when we were having a lot of the big oaks trimmed before hurricane season a few years ago but I wouldn't let them take the pine tree all the way down because I didn't want to sacrifice the staghorn fern. Now, that green syngonium is completely taking over, climbing a huge oak tree and almost completely covering the staghorn fern. I think I took this photo last year, I need to go out tomorrow and take another one because the staghorn isn't very visible now.

Fabulous photos and plants. I'm so jealous of your climate! I have a pot of the pink one, and love it. I bet you could sell it on Etsy or Ebay.

plantmanager said:Fabulous photos and plants. I'm so jealous of your climate! I have a pot of the pink one, and love it. I bet you could sell it on Etsy or Ebay.

Thanks Karen, if I was younger I might consider selling it but at my age and with my short attention span ... too much work!