Even pothos is a common name. Botanically it is Epipremnum , but that is hard to say and harder to spell. The reason for all the confusion is that until 1956 it had never been seen in flower.
Botanists classify all plants on the basis of their flowers or other reproductive parts.
Pothos matures at 40 feet or higher in its native southeast Asian jungles, but in pots seldom exceeds 6 feet. In effect, even the large, old tangle of pothos vine your grandmother had in her parlor was a mere baby at that height. The plant is most attractive as an infant in a hanging basket or taking its first steps at climbing a pole. The glossy-leaved plants are available in solid green or variegated with either white, 'Marble Queen', or yellow and lighter green, 'Tricolor'. It has satiny grey-green leaves with silver splotches.