Arrowhead Plant Care (Syngonium podophyllum): Light, Watering, Propagation, Albo

The arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum) is known for its arrow-shaped leaves and comes in dozens of colorways: white veins, pink speckles, almost all-cream leaves. It’s easy to grow, starts out bushy and begins to vine as it ages. Collectors love it for variegated forms like Albo.

How to identify arrowhead plant

Syngonium podophyllum is an evergreen, herbaceous vine in the arum family (Araceae). Kew’s Plants of the World Online gives its native range as Mexico to tropical America. University of Florida notes that all species in the genus are hemiepiphytes from moist, elevated forests. It’s also sold as nephthytis, arrowhead vine or goosefoot plant, and the Missouri Botanical Garden lists Nephthytis triphylla as a synonym.

The most interesting thing about it is how the leaves change:

• juvenile leaves are arrow-shaped, about 3 to 7 inches long according to University of Florida, and slightly velvety,
• intermediate leaves are three-lobed,
• adult leaves on climbing plants are divided into 3 to 11 leaflets and, per the Missouri Botanical Garden, reach up to 14 inches.

Plants are sold in their young, bushy form. NC State Extension explains that older plants start producing vining stems. To keep the arrowhead leaves and a compact shape, cut those stems back as they begin to stretch.

Light requirements

The Missouri Botanical Garden recommends bright, indirect light with protection from direct sun. NC State Extension warns that direct sun tends to burn or bleach the foliage. See our houseplant light guide for placement tips.

How often to water syngonium

University of Florida recommends letting the surface of the potting mix dry slightly before watering. In winter, water less often but don’t let the plant dry out.

• Empty the saucer after watering.
• The Missouri Botanical Garden advises regular watering in the growing season and less from fall to late winter.
• Don’t overwater. Both the Missouri Botanical Garden and NC State list soft rot among syngonium diseases.

More in how to water houseplants.

Soil and repotting

The Missouri Botanical Garden recommends a soil-based potting mix. According to University of Florida, commercial growers use blends of peat, pine bark, vermiculite and perlite with a pH of 5.5–6.5. At home, a good houseplant potting mix lightened with perlite or bark does the job (see aroid soil mix).

NC State Extension suggests repotting every few years and trimming the root system at the same time to keep the plant a manageable size.

Humidity and temperature

Syngonium likes humid air. University of Florida says it keeps its looks best at 40–60% relative humidity, and the Missouri Botanical Garden suggests a pebble tray or a humidified room. University of Florida also notes that pest problems are relatively rare when humidity is kept at the right level.

For temperature, University of Florida recommends 65–80 °F (18–27 °C) to maintain leaf color. Temperatures below 55 °F (13 °C) can cause chilling injury. More in our houseplant humidity guide.

Fertilizing

The sources we used don’t give a specific home feeding schedule. Use a general houseplant fertilizer during the growing season, following the label, and skip winter. Wipe the leaves now and then with a lint-free cloth; University of Florida recommends it to keep them dust-free and discourage pests.

How to propagate arrowhead plant

University of Florida says syngonium is easily propagated from single-node cuttings, tip cuttings or air layers. NC State Extension also lists division.

1. Find a node on the stem, ideally with an aerial root. University of Florida describes single-node cuttings with an attached leaf as the simplest method.
2. Cut below the node and insert the cutting in moist potting mix, or stand it in water.
3. Keep it warm and bright, out of direct sun. Commercial growers root cuttings under mist at warm temperatures; at home, a warm spot and a clear cover help.
4. Once rooted, plant several cuttings together for a fuller pot.

An older plant with several stems can also be divided carefully when you repot. Wear gloves while working. For a comparison of methods, see houseplant propagation methods.

Syngonium varieties: pink, white and Albo

According to University of Florida, tissue culture propagation has produced many new cultivars. Among them:

• ‘White Butterfly’: mostly white-yellow veins bordered with dark green, which University of Florida calls the standard syngonium,
• ‘Pink Allusion’: light olive-green leaves with deep pink veins,
• ‘Neon’: solid bright pink leaves,
• ‘Confetti’: light green leaves with large pink splotches.

NC State Extension adds ‘Milk Confetti’, ‘Three Kings’ and ‘Painted Arrow’.

‘Albo Variegatum’ (Albo): dark green leaves irregularly marbled with white, so every leaf is different. Grower Costa Farms notes that it tends to throw off shoots that lose their variegation or are entirely white with no chlorophyll, and that it is rarely available from commercial growers. Cut all-green shoots back to the last well-variegated leaf. More in variegation reversion and variegated houseplants.

Common problems

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Burned or bleached leaves	direct sun	move to indirect light
Leaves losing color	temperature outside 65–80 °F	move somewhere with stable room temperature
Damaged leaves after cold	temperatures below 55 °F	keep away from drafts and cold windows
Plant stretching, leaves turning divided	natural maturing, vining stems	cut back vining stems, or give it a pole
Soft, rotting stems	overwatering, soft rot	remove affected parts, let the mix dry
Water-soaked spots on leaves	bacterial leaf spot	remove affected leaves, keep foliage dry
Fine webbing, white fluffy clusters	spider mites, mealybugs	raise humidity; see spider mites and mealybugs
All-white leaves on Albo	shoot with no chlorophyll	these leaves can’t feed the plant; consider cutting back to a more balanced node

Is arrowhead plant toxic?

The ASPCA lists arrowhead vine as toxic to cats, dogs and horses. It contains insoluble calcium oxalates. Chewing it can cause oral irritation, pain and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing.

NC State Extension rates it as medium severity for people and notes that the sap can irritate skin. Keep it out of reach of children and pets, and wear gloves when pruning. See houseplants toxic to cats and dogs.

In the game

Syngonium ‘Albo’ is one of six species in Rare Leaf Tycoon. Just like a real Albo, you don’t know a cutting’s pattern in advance: after the reveal it’s green, unstable, stable or rare. An unstable line gives better odds of a rare pattern, but also more green leaves. Growing is simplified in the game, and plants never die.