Syngonium 'Aurea' - 9cm pot / 15cm
Syngonium 'Aurea' looks like someone has poured sunshine through an arrowhead leaf. Yellow splashes, green patches and all those little overlaps of colour. I find golden variegation deeply unhelpful to any plans involving self-control.
This variegated arrowhead plant brings a completely different warmth to a collection. Put it beside dark velvet leaves and the yellow sings; let it grow among greens and it looks like the light has landed in exactly the right place.
Its Syngonium podophyllum background comes from tropical America, and there's a brilliant transformation built into the plant. The arrow-shaped leaves we know so well are the juvenile form. With maturity and climbing growth, the foliage can become more divided. You get changing shape as well as the ongoing colour lottery.
I'd give Aurea a bright, filtered position and something to climb as it develops. Appreciate those green sections too: they help power the beautiful nonsense we're all here for.
If your jungle needs a little golden interruption, adopt this one. Then prepare to announce every new leaf to people who did not ask but absolutely need to see it.
