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Monstera deliciosa
Araceae FAMILY

Monstera deliciosa

Monstera deliciosa

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant contain calcium oxalate crystals. This substance is toxic fresh and, if eaten, makes the mouth, tongue and throat feel as if hundreds of small needles are digging in to them. However, calcium oxalate is easily broken down either by thoroughly cooking the plant or by fully drying it and, in either of these states, it is safe to eat the plant. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Climber
GrowthFast

A plant of the hot, humid, tropical lowlands, though it can also be found at elevations up to 1,500 metres[2, 3]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 28 - 34°c, but can tolerate 18 - 38°c[4]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -3°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c[4]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,300 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 2,500mm[4]. Prefers growing in a shady position[5], but can tolerate a wide range from deep shade to fairly open and sunny[4]. Although it is often an epiphytic plant, it grows very well in the earth - often becoming a pest in fact because of their rapid growth and spread[2]. It prefers a fertile, moist, but well-drained soil[5]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6, tolerating 5 - 7.5[4]. The plant forms two types of aerial roots from the nodes and internodes of the stems - one type grows down to the ground where it roots and is a source of moisture and nutrients, the other type is an anchor root, growing around the stem of the host plant[6]. Seedling plants can commence bearing fruit when 6 - 8 years old, plants from cuttings when 3 - 4 years old[3]. Plants can flower and produce fruit all year round[3].

Propagation

Seed - must not be allowed to dry out[7]. Air layering. Internodal cuttings. Cuttings made from growing tips with one leaf attached. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Monstera+deliciosa>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  2. [2]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  3. [3]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  4. [4]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  5. [5]Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide — Whistler. W. Arthur. · Timber Press Inc. Oregon. · 2000 · ISBN 0-88192-448-2 ↩︎An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
  6. [6]Contributions from the Gray Herbarium Vol. 207 — Harvard University; Massachusets · 1977 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A botanical journal, it contains a revision of the genus Monstera. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  7. [7]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  8. [8]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  9. [9]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.