Different Types of Money Plants You Can Grow at Home

Why So Many Plants Share the Name "Money Plant"?

The name money plant has been applied to multiple botanically unrelated plants across different cultures, primarily based on cultural beliefs about prosperity and good fortune rather than on any botanical relationship. A plant believed to bring wealth or luck in one cultural tradition gets named "money plant" in that tradition — and since multiple cultures in different parts of the world developed these traditions independently, the name ended up attached to several entirely different species.

This creates real confusion when people search for money plant care advice, because someone in India asking about their money plant is almost certainly asking about Epipremnum aureum (golden pothos), while someone in a Western country might mean Crassula ovata (jade plant), and someone familiar with feng shui traditions might be asking about Pachira aquatica (money tree). Knowing which plant you actually have is the essential first step in finding the right care advice.

Group 1: Pothos Varieties (Epipremnum aureum)

In India and across South and Southeast Asia, "money plant" almost universally refers to Epipremnum aureum and its cultivated varieties — collectively known as pothos. This is a tropical vine from the Araceae family, native to the Solomon Islands and naturalised across tropical Asia, that is beloved as a houseplant worldwide for its tolerance, adaptability, and trailing growth habit.

Pothos can trail, climb, or grow in water. Its heart-shaped leaves come in several colour patterns depending on the variety. The plant tolerates low light, irregular watering, and general neglect better than almost any other common houseplant — which has made it the default "first houseplant" for millions of households across India and the world.

Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum — standard)

The most widely grown variety. Golden pothos has mid-to-dark green leaves with irregular patches, streaks, or marbling of yellow or gold. The variegation pattern varies from plant to plant and even from leaf to leaf — no two leaves are identical. In low light, the yellow variegation fades and leaves become predominantly green; in brighter light, the gold intensifies.

Golden pothos is the toughest and fastest-growing of all pothos varieties. It tolerates the widest range of conditions: low light (an unlit corridor or windowless bathroom), irregular watering, high or low humidity, and a wide temperature range. It grows well in soil and in water. For beginners or for challenging environments, golden pothos is the undisputed recommendation.

Mature leaf size in typical indoor conditions is 10 to 15 cm in length. Outdoors or climbing a moss pole with aerial root support, the same plant can produce leaves 30 to 45 cm long — a dramatic transformation that surprises many growers who have only ever seen the small-leaved indoor form.

Marble Queen Pothos (Epipremnum aureum 'Marble Queen')

Marble queen is distinguished by heavy cream or white variegation — often covering 40 to 60 percent or more of the leaf surface — with irregular dark green sections and a marbled pattern that varies between leaves. The effect is of a plant that looks as though it has been splashed with pale paint.

The heavy variegation makes marble queen one of the most visually striking pothos varieties. However, those white and cream sections of the leaf contain no chlorophyll — they cannot photosynthesise. This means marble queen needs more light than golden pothos to produce the same amount of energy, and grows more slowly. In genuinely low light, marble queen will survive but the leaves may revert to predominantly green as the plant sheds unprofitable white tissue. For marble queen to maintain its variegation, place it in bright indirect light — near a window is ideal.

Neon Pothos (Epipremnum aureum 'Neon')

Neon pothos has uniformly bright chartreuse or neon yellow-green leaves with no variegation — the entire leaf is a vivid, almost electric yellow-green colour that looks different from any other common houseplant. The colour is produced by a different chlorophyll ratio and carotenoid balance rather than by variegation.

Despite its vivid colour, neon pothos is fully green — all leaf tissue contains chlorophyll — making it as vigorous and fast-growing as standard golden pothos. It tolerates low light well, although the neon colour becomes more muted in dim conditions. In bright indirect light, the leaves are strikingly vivid. Neon pothos is an excellent choice for adding a bold colour accent to indoor spaces that might otherwise be dominated by conventional dark green foliage.

Silver Pothos / Satin Pothos (Scindapsus pictus)

Technically a separate genus (Scindapsus rather than Epipremnum), silver pothos is closely related to the pothos family and is often sold and kept alongside them. It has matte, velvety-textured dark green leaves with silver-grey patches and spots — a more subtle and sophisticated look than the bright variegation of marble queen. The leaf texture is distinctly different from standard pothos — softer and less glossy.

Silver pothos grows more slowly than Epipremnum varieties and prefers slightly higher humidity. It is less tolerant of very low light — the silver markings that make it distinctive fade and disappear in poor light. Keep it in bright indirect light and avoid direct sun, which scorches the soft leaves easily.

Njoy Pothos (Epipremnum aureum 'Njoy')

Njoy pothos is a newer cultivar with smaller, more compact leaves and sharply defined white and green variegation — white patches on one side of the leaf and solid green on the other, with a clear demarcation between them. The more defined variegation pattern gives it a cleaner, more graphic appearance than the soft marbling of marble queen.

Njoy is smaller and more compact in growth habit than other pothos varieties, making it good for small spaces and as a tabletop plant. It grows slowly and needs bright indirect light to maintain its variegation. Not as widely available as golden pothos or marble queen, but becoming more common in specialist plant shops.

Group 2: Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)

In Western countries and in some feng shui contexts, "money plant" often refers to Crassula ovata, a succulent shrub native to South Africa. Jade plant is not a trailing vine but an upright, bushy plant with thick woody stems and fleshy oval leaves in deep glossy green, sometimes with red-tinged edges. It can grow into a small tree-like form over many years, with a gnarled, interesting trunk.

Jade plant care is radically different from pothos care. As a succulent, it stores water in its thick leaves and stems and is adapted to dry, arid conditions with well-drained soil. It needs:

• Much less frequent watering — every 2 to 3 weeks in summer, every 3 to 4 weeks in winter
• Direct or very bright sunlight — at least 4 to 6 hours of bright light per day (cannot thrive in low light)
• Fast-draining succulent or cactus potting mix — regular potting compost retains too much water and causes root rot rapidly
• Cool to moderate temperatures — tolerates down to 5°C but not frost

If you water jade plant like pothos (every 7 to 10 days with thorough soaking), you will kill it. If you give pothos the light and drought treatment suitable for jade plant, it will also struggle. They are genuinely different plants requiring entirely different care.

Group 3: Money Tree (Pachira aquatica)

Money tree is a tropical aquatic tree native to Central and South America (Mexico to Bolivia), commonly known as Pachira aquatica. In its natural habitat, it grows along rivers and in flooded swamp forests. It is most commonly sold as a houseplant in the form of multiple stems braided together at the base, topped with a crown of palm-like compound leaves.

The association with prosperity and luck in feng shui and Chinese cultural traditions has made money tree enormously popular as a gift plant and office plant across East Asia, and the trend has spread globally. The braided trunk form is entirely artificial — growers braid the stems of several young trees together as they grow, a technique developed commercially in Taiwan in the 1980s.

Money tree care is distinct from both pothos and jade plant: it needs moderate to bright indirect light (tolerates lower light than jade plant, but needs more than extremely low-light pothos positions), regular watering but with good drainage (not as drought-tolerant as jade plant, not as moisture-tolerant as pothos), and a temperature range of 15 to 30°C. It does not grow in water — it needs soil with good drainage.

Group 4: Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)

Lucky bamboo, sold in glass vases of pebbles and water in shops and homes across Asia, is not a true bamboo — it is a member of the Dracaena genus. It is widely associated with good luck and is kept near entrances, in offices, and gifted at celebrations. The number of stalks is believed to carry symbolic meaning in feng shui (3 for happiness, 5 for wealth, 6 for health, 7 for good health, 8 for prosperity, and 9 as especially auspicious).

Lucky bamboo genuinely does grow in water — this is its primary commercial growing method. It is kept in a vase with pebbles and clean water, with water changed every 1 to 2 weeks. It needs bright indirect light (but not direct sun, which burns the leaves) and water that is free of fluoride and chlorine (fluoride in tap water causes brown tips, which is the most common complaint about lucky bamboo). Distilled or rainwater is preferred.

Group 5: Lunaria (Silver Dollar Plant)

In some European traditions, Lunaria annua — an annual or biennial plant with round, translucent seed pods — is called money plant or money flower, because the dried silvery seed pods resemble coins. This use of the name is less common in the context of houseplants and is specific to Western gardening traditions. Lunaria is grown outdoors as a garden ornamental for its papery, disc-shaped seed pods rather than as a houseplant.

Choosing the Right Money Plant for Your Home

Given the diversity of plants under this single name, the right choice depends on your specific situation. Here is a quick guide:

Choose pothos (golden, marble queen, or neon) if:

• You want a low-maintenance, forgiving plant that tolerates variable conditions
• You have a room with limited natural light
• You want a trailing vine effect — hanging baskets, climbing walls, cascading from shelves
• You want to grow a plant in water (glass bottle, vase)
• You are a beginner or have had houseplants die on you before
• You are in India or a tropical climate — golden pothos is perfectly adapted to Indian conditions year-round

Choose jade plant if:

• You want a long-lived, tree-like statement plant for a bright, sunny room
• You have south or west-facing windows with direct sunlight
• You tend to forget to water plants and want something drought-tolerant
• You are interested in bonsai-style shaping — jade plant responds very well to pruning into sculptural forms

Choose money tree (Pachira) if:

• You want the specific braided-trunk feng shui aesthetic
• You are buying a gift related to prosperity or a new business
• You have space for a mid-sized statement plant (mature specimens reach 60–120 cm indoors)

Care Comparison: Money Plant Types Side by Side

Pothos Varieties: Growing All of Them Together

Many houseplant enthusiasts enjoy growing multiple pothos varieties together — either in separate pots arranged as a group display, or occasionally in a single large pot where different varieties are planted together. The colour and texture contrast between golden pothos, marble queen, and neon pothos is striking, and since they all share essentially the same care requirements, managing a mixed collection is no harder than managing a single variety.

The one consideration in mixed plantings is that the more vigorous golden and neon varieties may outgrow the slower marble queen and eventually dominate the pot. Trimming the more vigorous stems periodically allows all varieties to maintain space and remain visible. This is easy to do — the trimmed sections can be propagated into new plants in water or soil.

How This Website Defines "Money Plant"

This website focuses primarily on Epipremnum aureum (pothos) and its varieties, because this is what money plant means in the context where the site is most read — India and other South Asian countries. When we say "money plant" without further qualification, we mean pothos. Articles that specifically address jade plant (Crassula ovata) or money tree (Pachira aquatica) will say so explicitly. If you searched for money plant care information and arrived here, the advice throughout this site applies to pothos and its varieties.