Monstera adansonii, the Adanson's monstera,[2] Swiss cheese plant,[3] or five holes plant, is a species of flowering plant from family Araceae, which is widespread across much of South America and Central America.[4] Monstera adansonii is classified as a hemiepiphyte vine and can be found in tropical forests with hot and high humidity conditions.[5] Other regions this plant may be found in are the West Indies, Antigua, Grenada, Saba, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Tobago, and Trinidad. Currently, there are four recognized subspecies of Monstera adansonii subsp. adansonii, M. adansonii subsp. blanchetii, M. adansonii subsp. klotzschiana and Monstera adansonii subsp. laniata[6] The species are quite common near river valleys at lower elevations.[7]

Monstera adansonii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Monstera
Species:
M. adansonii
Binomial name
Monstera adansonii
Synonyms[1]
  • Monstera pertusa (L.) de Vriese
  • Dracontium pertusum L.
  • Calla dracontium G.Mey.
  • Calla pertusa (L.) Kunth
  • Philodendron pertusum (L.) K.Koch & C.D.Bouché

The common name "Swiss cheese plant" is also used for the also very often cultivated species Monstera deliciosa.[3]

Description

edit
 
In pot

Monstera adansonii is known for its beautiful, heart-shaped leaves. The leaves have a somewhat thick, waxy texture, and contain large, oval-shaped perforations, which lead to its common name of "swiss cheese plant". It grows to be 3–5 feet tall as a houseplant, and up to 13 feet as a vine. The Adanson's monstera is an easy to care for houseplant that likes bright, indirect sunlight, and well draining soil.[8][9] There are some cultivars with variegated leaves, including 'Archipelago'.[10]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Monstera adansonii - Costela-de-adão". Flora SBS. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Monstera adansonii​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b Wiersema, John H.; León, Blanca (2016). World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference (2nd ed.). CRC Press. p. 452. ISBN 9781466576810 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Monstera adansonii Schott". University of Connecticut. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  5. ^ I. M. Andrade, S. J. Mayo, C. van den Berg, M. F. Fay, M. Chester, C. Lexer, D. Kirkup., A Preliminary Study of Genetic Variation in Populations of Monstera adansonii var. klotzschiana (Araceae) from North-East Brazil, Estimated with AFLP Molecular Markers, doi:10.1093/aob/mcm200, PMC 2759243{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Mayo, S.J. and Andrade, I.M., A morphometric and taxonomic study of Monstera (Araceae) in Bahia, Brazil, doi:10.1002/fedr.201300019{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Monstera adansonii Schott, Wiener Z. Kunst, vol. 4, pp. 1028–1830
  8. ^ "Monstera adansonii: The Magnificent Monkey Mask Plant". Epic Gardening. 2020-02-08. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  9. ^ Jyoti, Asha (10 August 2021). "How to take care of Monstera adansonii". Foodthesis. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Variegated Monstera adansonii 'Archipelago' [ Complete Care Guide ]". Gasworks Flora. Retrieved 12 February 2022.

  Media related to Monstera adansonii at Wikimedia Commons