Pothos vs Monstera: 4 Ways to Tell Them Apart
Everyone knows what a mature Monstera deliciosa looks like — the huge leaves full of dramatic holes and splits. The problem is young Monstera plants don't have any of that yet. A Monstera under a year or two old is just solid, heart-shaped, glossy green leaves — which is exactly what a plain green pothos also is. If you bought a small "Monstera" or "pothos" and now aren't sure which one you actually got, here's how to tell without waiting months for splits to show up.
Quick verdict
Fastest test: look at the nodes along the stem. Monstera grows thick, brown, cord-like aerial roots even while young. Pothos only has small, pale root nubs — nothing you'd call a "root" at a glance.
Second test: feel the leaf. Monstera leaves are thicker, stiffer, and more leathery with visible veins. Pothos leaves are thinner and waxier.
Time will also tell: if you wait, a Monstera's new leaves keep getting bigger and eventually fenestrate (split). Pothos leaves plateau in size and never split — ever.
Why this confusion is everywhere
Monstera deliciosa is famous for one thing: the holes and splits (fenestration) in its mature leaves. But fenestration isn't automatic — it only kicks in once the plant is mature enough, usually after it's grown a handful of leaves and often only once it has something to climb. Every Monstera starts out as a small plant with plain, unsplit, heart-shaped leaves, which happens to be the exact same silhouette as a solid-green pothos.
Nurseries and big-box stores sell both as small starter plants in nearly identical pots, and a rushed employee sorting by "green heart-shaped leaf, trails or climbs" can genuinely mix them up. The confusion usually resolves itself in a few months once the Monstera matures — but if you want to know now, you don't have to wait.
The 4 ways to tell them apart
#1Check the aerial roots
This is the single most reliable early test. Monstera is a climbing aroid that sends out real aerial roots to anchor onto trees and structures in the wild — even a young plant will show at least one thick brown root nub that's clearly different from a leaf node. Pothos climbs too, but its root structures at each node stay small and inconspicuous.
#2Feel the leaf
Pinch a leaf between two fingers. A pothos leaf feels like a thin sheet of stiff plastic. A young Monstera leaf, even without any splits, already has noticeably more substance and heft — closer to a rubber plant leaf than a pothos.
#3Look at the petiole
Monstera's petiole is noticeably chunkier relative to the leaf than pothos's — it has to support a leaf that's going to keep growing much larger. Roll it between your fingers; a clear channel plus extra thickness points to Monstera.
#4Watch what happens over the next few months
If you're not in a hurry, this test is the most conclusive of all: give it a few months of consistent bright indirect light. If a new leaf ever comes out with even a single hole or split, you have a Monstera. Pothos will never do that, no matter how well you care for it.
Care: are they different?
Both are easygoing houseplants, but Monstera asks for a bit more as it grows toward its mature, fenestrated form:
| Pothos | Monstera | |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Bright indirect; tolerates low light but variegation fades | Bright indirect; more light generally means more/larger fenestrations |
| Watering | Top 2" of soil dry — usually every 7–14 days | Top 1–2" of soil dry — usually every 7–10 days; hates sitting wet (see overwatered Monstera rescue) |
| Support | Not needed — trails happily unsupported | A moss pole or trellis helps it climb and reach full leaf size/fenestration |
| Mature size | Long trailing vine, individual leaves stay small | Large climbing plant; leaves can reach 1–2 ft across when mature |
| Growth speed | Fast in bright light | Moderate; noticeably faster once climbing a support |
| Pet-safe? | No — toxic to cats and dogs (calcium oxalate) | No — toxic to cats and dogs (calcium oxalate) |
For pet-safety details, see our toxic plants for pets guide and our cat-safe houseplants guide for safe alternatives.
What about the other common confusions?
Monstera vs. Philodendron
A separate, equally common mix-up — see our full Monstera vs Philodendron guide for the leaf and petiole tests that tell those two apart.
Pothos vs. Philodendron
The classic trailing-vine mix-up. See Pothos vs Philodendron: 4 Ways to Tell Them Apart.
Monstera deliciosa vs. Monstera adansonii
Both are sold simply as "Monstera," but adansonii (Swiss cheese vine) is a smaller, thinner-leaved, faster-trailing species whose leaves fenestrate with narrow oval holes at a much smaller size than deliciosa, which fenestrates with wider splits reaching the leaf edge. If your "baby Monstera" already has small holes at only 4-6 inches of leaf, it's more likely adansonii.
How to confirm with a photo
If you're still not sure which one you're growing, snap a photo of one mature leaf plus a close-up of a node showing any aerial root growth, and use Nature Lenz. The AI distinguishes pothos from juvenile Monstera reliably from leaf texture and node structure — you don't have to wait for fenestration to find out.
Settle the question with one photo
Nature Lenz identifies pothos, Monstera, and 8,000+ other houseplant species — even before the splits show up. Free, no paywall, iOS.
Get the app →FAQs
Why does my Monstera look exactly like pothos?
Because it's young. Monstera deliciosa only develops its famous holes and splits (fenestration) once it matures and gets enough light — usually after it has grown 8-10 leaves and often only once it's climbing a support. Before that, every leaf is solid and heart-shaped, which is exactly what makes it look like pothos.
How can I tell a baby Monstera from pothos without waiting for splits?
Check for aerial roots first — even a young Monstera grows thick, brown, cord-like aerial roots at its nodes, while pothos only has small greenish root nubs. Then feel the leaf: Monstera leaves are thicker and more leathery with prominent veins; pothos leaves are thinner and waxier.
Do pothos leaves ever split like Monstera?
No. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) never fenestrates or splits, at any age or light level. If a plant you're growing eventually shows even one split or hole in a new leaf, it isn't pothos — it's a Monstera or a similar aroid like Rhaphidophora tetrasperma.
Does Monstera need a moss pole to grow big leaves?
Not strictly, but it helps a lot. Monstera is a climbing aroid in the wild, and giving it something to climb — a moss pole or trellis — lets its aerial roots anchor in and supports the larger, more fenestrated leaves it's capable of. Left to trail unsupported, it grows more slowly and stays smaller-leaved.
Are pothos and Monstera both toxic to pets?
Yes. Both are aroids (Araceae family) and contain calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth and GI tract if chewed by cats or dogs. Keep both out of reach. See our toxic plants for pets guide for symptoms and what to do.