To root the plant needs to be set in water with a leaf node, not just a stem, intact and below the water line. The node is the joint where the leaf meets the stem. (In that node is all the genetic material to make a new plant. It’s sort of like plant stem cells.) So take your cutting but make sure there’s a leaf node in there.

I actually just did this with one of mine. It took weeks but every cutting (I think I did 6) rooted. This is not a fussy plant. It is ideal for “black thumb” people.

If the plant is leggy, it needs more sunlight. But with this plant I wouldn’t worry. Just plant a few stems and even if leggy, collectively they’ll be leafy enough.

I'd cut yours just below that sharp angle an inch above the whitish tie.

Place cutting in water so that just the bottom 1" of stem is in the water. If you leave the whole length of stem & / or leaves in the water, they'll rot.

Keep in mind though, arrowhead (Syngonium podophyllum) is a vine, so it's a constant effort to keep upright if uprightness is desired. A trellis that the vine can be woven into/around might be preferable to staking.

I have the exact same problem with mine . If it is cut will the original plant continue to grow new leaves? Thanks.

Sure, the stems on the base plant will quickly produce new growth from the top 1 to 3 nodes. There's a node, a little bump, at the base of each petiole (the little stem that attaches leaf to the main stem).

These old stems have the support of their large root system, so take far less time to start growing than the tip cuttings taken from it.

Once mine started vining (too much), I cut the tops off and started them in a plastic drinking cup with holes cut in the bottom and filled with perlite. Easy-peasy.

Lovely plants that need to be groomed every year or two. This is a pan of some and begonias a couple days ago.

outdoors 2018

Brugs and syngoniums 2013

Russ,

You forget your photo of Byrd? I want to see it when you can post it.

Probably all my Syngoniums are from the big box stores (Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's) - probably Exotic Angels.

I had two tiny ones - one was wendlandii and wished I could find it again (this was from the nursery in Chattanooga) and a teeny tiny one but was probably started small for fairy gardens.

This is at the Atlanta Botanical Garden which inspired me to get more types.

I think this was a Syngonium but lost it eventually.

S. wendlandii?

HC, my pics won't download, good ol' Houzz says something about low memory.

I think wendlandii must be delicate, I had it a couple times in past years but they didn't last long. Hard to believe they need more humidity than what I have in central Florida.

I have a small collection of syng's, a couple of dozen. I'll post some pics when I figure out what's wrong.

Russ, go to gardenweb instead and find this thread. For some reason the pictures are easier to post. Weird I know.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5401599/how-do-can-i-propagate-my-gangly-arrowhead-plant#n=9

HC, here's that weird species I mentioned, I think probably undescribed, unnamed unless someone knows what it its. I received it as 'Narrow' if I'm not mistaken.

This was a test from Gardenweb.com as you suggested, I tried to send 4 pics at once and after hitting Submit it just disappeared into internet netherland. This is from my desktop, prior efforts were on my old phone.

Yellow variegated podophyllum. Some young folks would say podophyllum Aurea but I'm old-school. Unlike the white variegated variety, this is still very uncommon.

I've had this for decades, fairly rare, S. triphyllum 'Lancetilla', Birdsey (1955) ex Croat, sp. Nov.

Birdsey found it in Honduras, later in Panama and Costa Rica. The pinched, short upper lobes are typical, and very cool.

Like other syngoniums, philodendrons, epipremnum pinnatum, and monsteras growing across the ground outside my shadehouse, this is an absolute weed. Don't have a name, thought maybe Trileaf Wonder from days long ago. Any ideas? Sometimes they find one of my big live oaks and climb. I have a tree full of E. pinnatum, up 40 feet at least.

By the way, if there are issues regarding these pics and comments not following the theme of the question by the original author, let me know and I'll start another thread. At least we are posting about syngoniums and hopefully generating some interest in these not-so-popular aroids.

A pink-spotted podophyllum type on the ground, the spotting is variable, sometimes have a leaf half pink, half spotted. Another weed.

I think this is one of the Allusion hybrids, based on the wide leaf. Not sure which one though.

Syngonium auritum.

A pink variety, unknown name. I've seen a similar one labeled Regina Red, but there are other pinks with different names. Anyone know the ID for sure??

This was named S. Byrd when I collected it 35 or 40+ years ago.. I've seen it once for sale since then under the name Freckles, but I'm certain that's a made-up name.

White Variegated podophyllum, the proverbial podophyllum Albo to some folks.

S. macrophyllum

One of the many Allusion hybrids, note the very wide leaves. Not sure of the name.

Another pink, probably an Allusion.

I lost this years ago, it was everywhere under shadehouse benches so it might have reverted to green rather than died. Bought from Glasshouse Works a couple of hundred years ago as Mottled Arrowhead. I keep looking under benches hoping to see a variegated one among all the green, but I fear it's gone. Anyone with this for trade, please give me a shout at bluesea14808@yahoo.com.

Mottled Arrowhead, now probably reverted. I've seen what looks like this for sale lately under other names. If the plants are the same, those names are bogus since Mottled Arrowhead predates by at least 40 years.

There are so many hybrids of Syngoniums today that I had to quit. I do like your yellow and white variegated ones Russ! Beautiful. Maybe there is room for some more later on. HA! It is a sickness I tell you. At least you can plant yours outside - lucky you.

I hate it when a variegated plant reverts to plain green. It sneaks up on you. I had a variegated Philodendron hederaceum. I stopped watching it and I think it is all green now. GRRR! I just did a search and they are selling some on Etsy for, get this, $300! I need to get after my Vinca 'Illumination' as I see a lot of green happening these last couple of years and I don't want it to take over.

HC, let me know if I can send you the white and yellow variegated ones whenever you find room. If that hederaceum was white variegated, it has a strong habit of reverting and requires deligence to keep cutting off the all-green new growth. I have an all-yellow hederaceum that's pretty, hederaceum varieties Micans and Miduhoi have an attractive velvet sheen, especially the former.

I pulled out much of the supposed reverted Mottled Arrowhead and took cuttings from the base plants hoping to get variegated growth from the old nodes, but no luck yet.

Do you get snow up there? I assume you're close to the Atlanta area?

Thanks Russ for the kind offer. Maybe next year in warmer weather.

I will post a photo of the variegated philodendron. It wasn't white.

The last snow we had was December 2017 - the first week and was a freaky occurrence. We lost power the next morning for 24 hours - so we lit the fireplace and slept close to it that night.

Man that Philo was pretty, tragic that you lost the variegation. I think it's the same as mine but could be a different clone, your first pic is very close. The white color is usually muddy and can run to yellowish on new leaves. I'll post a pic of mine, it's recovering from attempted reversion last summer.

Your snow was beautiful, for me it's great if you don't have to get out in it and go to work. I'll bet that was a shocker for you warmer winter folks.

I have a ton of syngonium arrowhead vine that was originally bought as a house plant. It got unruly and I tossed it outside. Now it has just spread every where. The young ones are variegated but not the stuff that has grown suckers and is growing up my house. I have started experimenting with propagating the "crap vine" I'm pulling down. I've got pieces with lots of leaf nodes close together, but nothing growing, so I cut them so there were a few nodes on each and planted them in pots. I'm hoping they come up and that they'll be variegated. Any idea on my chances?

Kathy, you said the 'young ones are variegated', so can't you just take those tips as cuttings and pot them? If I misunderstood and new growths are green, you need to go back to where old leaves were variegated and take cuttings from that point back. Toss all the vines that have reverted to green. Cuttings with variegated leaves should produce new growths that are variegated.

I don't see a picture, I'm interested which variegated syng you have.

Hi Russ, thanks for getting back to me! I think they are called tri-leaf, but the big ones sometimes have 5? I'm kinda figuring out that the light has a lot to do with it. You can see the difference between right and left in color. The one on the right was growing much closer to the ground. ~Kat

Kathy, the official name of your syngonium is Trileaf Wonder, a very old one and don't see it very much any more. Syngoniums will put on lobes as they climb toward higher light, so will go from 3 to 5 to 7 and even 9 lobes, and then will bloom when they have enough light.

You're right in that young syngoniums have the most variegation, older ones and those in climbing mode will lose it completely. If you have enough young tip cuttings with good variegation to make a potful, I would just propagate them and toss all the rest.

My prior advice to take cuttings only from variegated portions of the vine doesn't apply to this particular syngonium, any new plants springing from side nodes of a green-leaved stem should produce variegated young plants. But you'll have to cut off the tip to force nodes to grow, maybe that's why you said you had pieces that had a lot of nodes close together but none were growing. As long as the cutting has a tip, all energy goes there and side nodes will stay dormant. Cut off the tip and energy diverts to side nodes and you will see the last few nodes from the top burst into active growth.

If the cuttings have aerial roots, you should be able to just plant them in a light, peat-based mix and they will grow easily for you. If no aerials, your glass of water is a safe way to propagate and produce roots. In the future, as vines start running, cut off tips to keep growth young and variegated. That will force the plant to be bushier and more attractive.

Let me know if you need clarification or have other questions.

Russ

Wow Russ! Where in Central Florida are you? I'm in Orange City. I have tons of this. Be glad to give you some! I do have aerial roots & trying to grow them in dirt with a leaf or two. I also am experimenting with small stem pieces from the vining part with no leaves but a lot of nodes. I put them in really moist mix and waiting to see if I need to reuse those pots or not. I dunno! I'm best off pulling the new ones out of the ground, I know, but I am curious (AKA Kat) I can't thank you enough for the help!

~ Kat

Kat, you're practically in my back yard. Email me at bluesea14808@yahoo.com.

I'm actually in Deland right now on an errand, if you get back to me within an hour or so I can stop by. If not we'll make it another time. Thanks.