Epipremnum Amplissimum, aka the silver streak pothos, is a gorgeous variety of pothos that has stunning long, pointy leaves with delicate silver striping. Learn how to care for this variety here.
How do you care for Epipremnum Amplissimum?
The Epipremnum Amplissimum is a variety of pothos you may not be familiar with. It’s closely related to other Epipremnum plants, and it certainly looks a lot like another Epipremnum I’ve written about: Baltic Blue Pothos. It’s a medium-sized climbing or trailing vine that is low-maintenance and sure to become your next favorite houseplant!
However, Epipremnum Amplissimum stands apart from other varieties of pothos because of its lovely long leaves that don’t fenestrate. In fact, as the plant grows, its leaves will increase in both length and width—but it doesn’t ever fenestrate—or split.
You might also find this plant called the Silver Streak Pothos—in sunlight, the bluish-green stripes oriented with the leaf’s veins will shine silver. Truly gorgeous. But I do have a thing for silver plants.
Where is the Epipremnum Amplissimum from?
The Epipremnum Amplissimum grows naturally in the Bismarck Archipelago, a group of islands off the coast of Northeast Australia and Papua New Guinea in the south Pacific. This region is marked by lowland rain forests with hot, muggy summers and cold, windy winters.
The genus name Epipremnum literally means “upon a trunk,” and the species name Amplissimum means “most abundant.” This lovely species of plant was recorded by Adolf Engler, the same Engler who created the expansive Engler plant classification system.
This plant is remarkably similar to the Epipremnum Pinnatum in terms of care, origin, and appearance, though their leaves are what sets them apart. E. Pinnatum’s foliage will fenestrate as it matures and begin to fan out, while E. Amplissimum’s leaves will stay long and skinny and do not split.
E. Amplissimum is cousins with one of the most popular indoor houseplants in the world: Golden Pothos, commonly referring to as “Devil’s Ivy.” The Epipremnum Aureum also originates from the south Pacific and is a low-maintenance, beautiful vine. You can’t go wrong with owning either of these Epipremums.
Light needs
The E. Amplissimum, although hardy, prefers bright, indirect sunshine. So 4-6 hours per day of bright morning or late afternoon sun will allow it to flourish without damaging the leaves.
Consider placing the pot a few feet away from a bright window so it has room to grow and gets plenty of warmth. Direct sun at the height of the day can burn the leaves, but too little sun will revert the leaves back to dark green and cause the vine to grow leggy. All in all, brighter light will promote faster, healthier growth.
It’s especially important to shield this plant from direct light if you have it outdoors for the spring and summer. I love taking pothos plants outside so they can soak up the Maryland humidity in the summer, but they scorch easily. Keep under a covered patio, shade cloth, or dense tree canopy.
Pro Tip: Variegated E. Amplissimum are more picky about their sunlight. Too little light will diminish their silver stripes, and too much light will damage them.
How often should I water an Epipremnum Amplissimum?
As always, watering depends on the time of year and how much sunlight and heat your plants are getting. During summer you might find that your Epipremnum Amplissimum needs to be watered more often. Otherwise the leaves will start to droop.
Like most plants, however, you can cut down on watering in the winter to maybe twice a month. As a rule of thumb, water your Silver Streak once a week or when the top several inches of soil dry out. This makes it easy to follow a watering schedule, especially if you can sync it up with your other houseplants.
Drainage is always necessary regardless of what size pot your plants are in. If your pot doesn’t have drainage holes, you run the risk of overwatering and rotting the plant’s roots. That will definitely kill it.
Pro Tip: Yellowing leaves are often a sign of overwatering. Try skipping a week or two of water to let things dry out, and trim off the affected foliage.
Soil needs
Epipremnum Amplissimum is a tropical vine, which should tell you everything you need to know about the plant’s soil needs. As an epiphyte, it needs well-draining, light soil with organic matter and lightweight moisture retention.
Organic matter can be anything from compost to worm castings (aka, worm poop), which will nourish the plant. You may choose to follow an aroid soil mixture such as: ½ high-quality store bought soil mix, ¼ of perlite, ¼ of orchid bark, and just a bit of organic material mixed in.
Any soil that is dense, mucky, or sandy will not work for this guy since it needs just the right amount of moisture retention. If you don’t want to mix your own, using a high-quality mix labeled for “houseplants” or “indoor plants” will likely keep your silver streak pothos happy.
You can also use a moss pole or trellis to guide the growth of the vine. Otherwise it will decide on its own where to grow. I personally prefer most of my pothos plants to vine and trail, but climbing is a great option, too!
Want more pothos? Check out my post about 11 Pothos Varieties to Check Out, my Manjula Pothos Care guide, and my Marble Queen Pothos Care guide!
Temperature requirements
Epipremnum Amplissimum comes from a very hot and humid part of the world. Although not necessary for its survival, warmer temperatures—70s and 80s Fahrenheit—are what makes this baby grow beautifully.
Drastic changes in temperature will shock the plant and hurt its growth. If you plan on growing your silver streak pothos indoors, you shouldn’t have to worry about the temperature.
Keep in mind that this plant is not cold or frost hardy at all. When my plant shipped to me, it was dropping down into the 40s at night. And the plant was fine. But this was a very short period of time, and it would definitely not enjoy that long term.
If you have this one outside, make sure to take it inside once the temperatures begin dipping down into the low 50s at night. Better safe than sorry!
How much humidity does an Epipremnum Amplissimum need?
Humidity is the cherry on top for the Epipremnum Amplissimum. If you can manage to keep it above 60%, then you’ll be rewarded greatly with gorgeous, healthy leaves and much faster growth.
You can artificially increase the humidity using a humidifier, pebble tray with water, or misting the air around your plants. However, misting is a pretty temporary solution, and you should do so only in the morning so the water can evaporate.
If too much water sits on leaves, it can lead to fungal issues. You can also wipe the leaves clean with a damp microfiber cloth to ensure they remain clean and that no water pools on them.
Putting your Epipremnum Amplissimum in some sort of glass cabinet can also help–see my post about my Ikea glass greenhouse cabinet for more on this topic. This can help keep ambient humidity levels high.
Propagating an Epipremnum Amplissimum
Pothos propagation is super easy! And that includes harder-to-find varieties like Epipremnum Amplissimum. It takes very little time to propagate a silver streak pothos. This can be done most effectively using healthy stem cuttings.
Snip a stem section with more than two leaves and pluck the lowest leaf off. Or snip a piece that is already missing a leaf at a node. You can also look for a little nub or aerial root on the stem and cut below that.
The node at which the leaf was attached to the stem is where roots will grow from. I recommend rooting the cutting in either water or moss.
Pro Tip: For the highest chance of success, propagate during the height of growing season, which is usually mid-spring and summer.
Water propagation
Pothos roots extremely easily in water and generally transfers well to soil. Put the cutting in room-temperature water and refresh it every week or so. Make sure the growth point remains submerged.
Small white water roots will begin to emerge. When they are a few inches long, you can transplant the cutting to soil. Keep the soil moist while the water roots are converting to soil roots.
Don’t freak out if you have some wilting—it should rebound. Once you see new growth, you can back off watering and treat the plant just as you would an established Epipremnum Amplissimum plant.
Moss propagation
I also like propagating pothos cuttings in moss because it helps to build stronger roots that suffer less transplant shock. If you’re new to this method, check out my sphagnum moss and perlite propagation 101 post.
In a nutshell, you’ll want to put the cutting in a mixture of damp moss and perlite. Make sure the moss isn’t soaking wet and that it never dries out completely; a spray bottle is helpful.
You’ll want to increase the humidity of these stem cuttings as much as possible by covering them with a plastic bag or putting them in a plastic propagation box with a lid. The newbies will need plenty of bright, indirect light and warmth.
Within 2 weeks you should notice rooting, and once the roots are a few inches long, I would recommend transferring to soil. Plant in a lightweight soil and water the plant when you pot it. Then water as normal.
Want more pothos? Check out my Snow Queen Pothos Care & Propagation post, my Cebu Blue Pothos Care & Propagation guide, and my Global Green Pothos Care post!
Is Epipremnum Amplissimum safe to have around pets?
Unfortunately Epipremnum Amplissimum, as an Epipremnum, contains insoluble calcium oxalates according to the ASPCA. Ingesting any part of the plant can lead to oral irritation; intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips; excessive drooling; vomiting; and difficulty swallowing.
It’s best to keep this plant away from nosy kids or pets who might want to have a nibble. Hanging up high is a good choice, as is a locked glass greenhouse cabinet!
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