Scindapsus Silver Splash

Scindapsus silver splash is a gorgeous variety of scindapsus pictus that is often confused with scindapsus pictus exotica. Learn how to identify this rare variety and how to care for it.

Meet my new scindapsus silver splash plant

Hi all! I intend for this post to be a quick one, but I have a lot to say about scindapsus plants…so, we’ll see 🙂 I am so happy to have finally acquired a scindapsus silver splash plant! My lovely friend sold it to me while downsizing her collection a bit, and I was *delighted* to take it off her hands.

I love silver houseplants (and I actually made a post about the different silver houseplants I own), and scindapsus is one of my favorite plants. Not all of the varieties are silver, but even the ones that aren’t are still gorgeous.

So how about we meet my new scindapsus silver splash plant? Here it is. Three beautiful leaves. I know it will likely stay at three leaves for a while given we’re headed into fall and winter as I write this. But she’ll get there! After all, Im patient—I was happy with 2 new leaves the entire growing season on my scindapsus jade satin cutting!

Is scindapsus silver splash the same as exotica?

Luckily I got my silver splash from a trusted friend—and besides, the finish on the leaves is very clearly a silver splash variety. However, I have noticed that sometimes scindapsus pictus exotica plants can be labeled online as silver splash plants.

This is not great because the scindapsus pictus exotica variety is much, much easier to find and much, much cheaper than the scindapsus pictus silver splash. Silver splash is considered rare, so you want to make sure that what you’re getting (and paying for!) is actually a silver splash.

But this can be tricky with online photos. Highly variegated gorgeous exotica plants can sometimes have leaves that look like silver splash plants. I assume that’s because silver splash is derived from exotica, but that could be wrong! Just my hunch.

Scindapsus pictus silver splash leaves have the same aqua green and silver coloring that exotica has. However, silver splash has a much more delicate silver variegation. To me it looks like the silver was painted on using watercolors. It is also a highly “pixelated” looking variegation.

Exotica can also have this same pixelated variegation, but from looking at pictures, it seems that the exotica has a much more pronounced variegation. The silver is more pronounced, and exotica also seems to have a strong silver band around the perimeter of the leaves.

Here are some examples of a scindapsus pictus exotica plant…

Here are a few examples of my scindapsus pictus exotica plants. Aren’t they lovely? They are some of my favorites—so gorgeous.

And compare that to my silver splash…

And here are a few pictures of the scindapsus silver splash leaves. You can see the similarities and differences. Also note that this is not what every silver splash looks like. Some silver splash leaves have more silver, some have less.

How can you tell the difference between scindapsus?

I also want to highlight a few other scindapsus varieties I own. They are all beautiful in their own way 🙂 Some are really easy to find, others are a bit harder.

1. First is the scindapsus pictus argyraeus. I’d say this is the easiest variety of scindapsus to find. I got mine at a grocery store. The jade-green leaves stay a bit smaller and are speckled with silver. They also have a silver band around the leaves like the exotica does.

2. Next is scindapsus pictus silvery Anne. This one looks a lot like argyraeus, but it has more silver. Some of the leaves are actually almost entirely silver, while others can have a “half moon” silver look. Check them out—

3. A scindapsus treubii moonlight it’s a pictus (it’s a treubii), and it’s also referred to as “scindapsus sterling silver.” This one is increasingly easier to find since Costa Farms began distributing it last year. It is entirely silver and entirely GORGEOUS.

4. Scindapsus treubii dark form is another rare form of scindapsus that I’ve been super lucky to get my hands on! The leaves are nearly black with no silver. And damn they are cool. I have a post about rooting scindapsus treubii dark form cuttings.

5. And finally we’ll look at scindapsus treubii jade satin. This variety has thick leaves that have no silver variegation. However, the lovely aqua-green leaves do have a slight shimmer to them in some lights, I think. I rooted this from a cutting and it is super slow growing.

Scindapsus silver splash care

Scindapsus silver splash care is a lot like other scindapsus plants. I have written about scindapsus pictus care, which outlines it in great detail. Here’s the skinny on scindapsus pictus silver splash care:

1. Bright, indirect light. Too much direct light will burn the leaves. However, direct morning light can be fine if it isn’t too strong. I have mine under grow lights in my Ikea glass greenhouse cabinet.
2. Very well-draining soil. I used a high-quality indoor potting soil and added in some more chunky perlite and coco coir to help encourage aeration and drainage.
3. Water only with the soil dries out completely. This is my approach. I’ve found that scindapsus in general are very sensitive to overwatering, so I err on the side of under-watering. This is generally once every 10 days in the summer and once every few weeks in the winter.
4. Give it humidity if you can! It is a humidity love. Humidity will help encourage larger leaf growth.

Wondering how to propagate silver splash?

Slower-growing scindapsus plants are all notoriously difficult to propagate and root. Luckily mine had some nice roots going when I got it, so I didn’t have to root is from scratch. However, I have rooted many other scindapsus plants from scratch. Check out my scindapsus pictus propagation guide for more.

I would definitely NOT recommend rooting scindapsus silver splash in water or directly in soil. Instead, I recommend using sphagnum moss and perlite in a humid environment like a clear plastic propagation box.

You can also use LECA, which I’ve found is a great option for slower growing or difficult plants. If you’re new to LECA, check out my post about how to root plants in LECA. I also like keeping these jars in my greenhouse cabinet to help with ambient humidity levels!

Where to buy a scindapsus silver splash plant

As I mentioned, I got my little plant from a friend. And she got it from another friend. So I don’t know where it originally came from. However, you can always check Etsy for rare plants (affiliate link).

If the deal looks too good to be true, check to make sure it’s a U.S. seller (if you’re in the U.S. like I am, that is). If it isn’t, it will be cheaper, but you’ll need to pay a bonkers amount for shipping and a photosanitary certificate.

Gabriella Plants is also a reputable online seller for rare plants, and they have silver splash in stock occasionally (sign up for alerts). You can also check Pistils Nursery located in Oregon. They are great sellers and have great reviews.

If I ever chop and prop a piece of my plant, I will definitely update this post with the results! I will also update this post as my plant grows <3

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