Syngonium /sɪŋˈɡoʊniəm/[3] is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical rainforests in southern Mexico, the West Indies, Central and South America.

The scientific name of the genus comes from the Greek words σύν (syn - plus, z) and γονή (gone - gonada) and refers to the fused ovaries of female flowers.

It is believed that the Mexican and Costa Rican populations of Syngonium have long been separated, which translates into morphological differences in the representatives of the same species (e.g. S. podophyllum and S. macrophyllum).

The climbing stalks have elongated internodes and are elastic to some extent, however, after bending the stem's skin often breaks and peels off, turning brown or yellowish.

Leaf petioles always form a distinct, wide vagina, with a length reaching from the middle to almost the top of the tail.

Plants often begin flowering before the emergence of mature leaves, which led to misleading description of new types of twigs.

The marginal line located furthest from the edge of the plaque is the largest, formed by the lowest side veins.

The shape of leaf blades is a feature dividing the genus into informal groups: Mono-flowering plants, forming from 1 to 11 inflorescences, the type of flask.

The inside of the vagina is generally white or creamy-white in the upper part, at the chamber level often with a red or violet color.

Male flowers consist of 4, almost sitting heads of rods, joined to a greater or lesser extent in the synandrium, with a truncated apex and rhomboid, pentagonal or hexagonal edges, rarely serrated.

In the non-blossoming state, Syngonium can be distinguished from philodendrons on non- cattalyllable leaves and clearly visible submarginal monofilament located 3–10 mm from the edge of the leaf.

After germination of the seeds, which always takes place in the ground, the plant remains for some time at the stage of the rosette, with a slender stalk with very short internodes.

In the event of loss of contact with the support by the top part of the stem, the plant begins to produce narrower and longer internodes and smaller leaves.

Around noon on the first day of the cycle the scabbard inflorescence opens up to ½ to ⅔ of its length, allowing the insects to access the female flowers.

On the morning of the second day of the cycle, the temperature of the flask rapidly increases (to about 12 °C above the environment), and the flowers begin to give off a sharp aroma, attracting insects.

On the third day the temperature of the flask again increases slightly, and the sheath curls up on the stretch of staminodes and female flowers, which stop taking pollen at the same time.

Then the male flowers open, letting out long threads of pollen, which falls into the chamber formed by the lower part of the vagina.

Contact with the plant, especially its accidental damage, can cause inflammation of the skin, manifested by itching, burning, and the appearance of efflorescence and blisters.

Contact plants from the mucous membranes of the mouth causes them severe irritation, seen as a sharp, searing pain and swelling.