Monday, September 26, 2011

POTHOS


Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Observation
The picture of this plant was taken on 22 September 2011 in the office building where I am employed. There are many of these plants throughout the entire office building. This plant sits in the window on the southeast corner of the building. It gets very little sunlight as this side of the building is mostly shaded from the sun. I potted this plant from the stem of another so its not as full as the other around the office. The plant has rich green leaves and strong vines.

Questions  
Can the Pothos plant reduce indoor ozone levels? What other kind of pollutants has the pothos plant been reported to reduced? How many plants should be used to be effective?

Scientific Research
Best, T. O., Decoteau, D.R., Holcomb, E. J., Papinchak, H. L. Effectiveness of Household Plants in Reducing Indoor Air Pollutant Ozone, Horttechnology, Vol. 19, No. 2 (April-June 2009), pp. 286-288.

The pothos plant is a popular indoor plant because its inexpensive, easy to care for and has rich foliage. They are also chosen as indoor plants because of their reported ability to reduce indoor pollutants. Ozone can occur indoors or in an office setting due to the use of copy machine, laser printer, ultraviolet lighting and some air purification systems. In controlled test environments, the ozone depletion levels were higher in environments where the pothos plant and others were present. In another controlled test environment it was proven that the pothos, when compared to the common spider plant, more effectively reduced the concentration of air pollutants such as formaldehyde, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide. For effectiveness,15 to 18 potted plants should be used in a 2000 square foot area.   

Further Information

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