Scientific Name:
Monstera deliciosa
Pronunciation:
mon-STEER-uh duh-liss-ee-OH-sah
Common Name:
Swiss cheese plant or hurricane plant
Family Name:
Araceae
Plant Type:
Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, ovate, most blades 20-40(-60)cm long x 15-30(-50)cm wide, split as they age resulting in elliptical holes (swiss cheese appearance), margins entire or lobed-pinnatifid; roots can be aerial.
Habit:
Arching, Spreading
Form:
Climbing
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
10 - 15m
Mature Spread:
4 - 5m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Central America, Mexico
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 11: (above 4 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Container planting, Indoor plant (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Google. In low humidity & low light the leaves will not split to form holes or lobes.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Heavily veined
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Cuspidate
Bases:
Cordate
Margins:
Cleft (parted), Entire, Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Spadix (& spathe)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Colour (petals):
White (Creamy-white)
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug
Fruit Type:
Edible, Multiple fruit
Fruit Colour:
Green
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Edible, Rarely present on indoor plants
Bark Morphology:
Other
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Tan
Organ Modifications:
Aerial or climbing roots
Propagation:
Seed, Greenwood cuttings, Layering
Optimal Temp.:
Medium
Light Level:
Medium
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids or adelgids, Leaf miner insect, Mealybugs, Mites, Scale insects (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
