Monstera

Monstera is a genus of 59 species of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas.

Etymology
The genus is named from the Latin word for "monstrous" or "abnormal", and refers to the unusual leaves with natural holes, or fenestrations, that members of the genus have.

Growth pattern
They are herbs or evergreen vines, growing to heights of 20 m in trees, climbing by means of aerial roots which act as hooks over branches; these roots will also grow into the soil to help support the plant. Since plants in the genus root both into the soil and over trees, it is considered a hemiepiphyte.

Leaves
The leaves are alternate, leathery, dark green, very large, from 25 - 90 cm long (up to 300 cm long in M. gigas) and 15 - 75 cm broad, often with holes in the leaf blade. The fenestrated leaves allow for the leaves to spread over greater area to increase sunlight exposure, and to allow light to reach other leaves below, by using less energy to produce and maintain the leaves.

Inflorescence
The flowers are borne on a specialized inflorescence called a spadix, 5 - 95 cm long; the fruit is a cluster of berries, with significant variation in color, edible in some species.

Uses
They are commonly grown indoors as houseplants. The best-known representative of the genus, Monstera deliciosa, is also cultivated for its edible fruit which tastes like a combination of peach and pineapple.

Species
Plants of the World Online recognizes 70 accepted taxa (of 64 species and 6 infraspecific names):


 * Monstera acacoyaguensis
 * Monstera acuminata – Shingle plant
 * Monstera adansonii
 * Monstera adansonii subsp. adansonii
 * Monstera adansonii subsp. blanchetii
 * Monstera adansonii subsp. klotzschiana
 * Monstera adansonii subsp. laniata
 * Monstera alcirana
 * Monstera alfaroi
 * Monstera amargalensis
 * Monstera anomala
 * Monstera aureopinnata
 * Monstera barrieri
 * Monstera bocatorensis
 * Monstera boliviana
 * Monstera buseyi
 * Monstera cenepensis
 * Monstera costaricensis
 * Monstera croatii
 * Monstera deliciosa – Ceriman, Swiss-cheese plant
 * Monstera dissecta
 * Monstera donosoensis
 * Monstera dubia
 * Monstera egregia
 * Monstera epipremnoides
 * Monstera filamentosa
 * Monstera florescanoana
 * Monstera gambensis
 * Monstera gentryi
 * Monstera gigas
 * Monstera glaucescens
 * Monstera gracilis
 * Monstera guzmanjacobiae
 * Monstera integrifolia
 * Monstera juliusii
 * Monstera kessleri
 * Monstera kikiae
 * Monstera kessleri
 * Monstera lechleriana
 * Monstera lentii
 * Monstera limitaris
 * Monstera luteynii
 * Monstera maderaverde
 * Monstera membranacea
 * Monstera minima
 * Monstera mittermeieri
 * Monstera molinae
 * Monstera momoi
 * Monstera monteverdensis
 * Monstera obliqua
 * Monstera oreophila
 * Monstera pinnatipartita
 * Monstera pittieri
 * Monstera planadensis
 * Monstera praetermissa
 * Monstera punctulata
 * Monstera siltepecana
 * Monstera spruceana
 * Monstera standleyana
 * Monstera subpinnata
 * Monstera tablasensis
 * Monstera tacanaensis
 * Monstera tarrazuensis
 * Monstera tenuis
 * Monstera titanum
 * Monstera tuberculata
 * Monstera tuberculata var. brevinoda
 * Monstera tuberculata var. tuberculata
 * Monstera vasquezii
 * Monstera wilsoniensis
 * Monstera xanthospatha

Previously included: Commonly misidentified as Monstera:
 * Monstera alticola
 * Monstera bocatorana
 * Monstera coloradensis
 * Monstera fortunense
 * Monstera gigantea (Roxb.) Schott - Epipremnum giganteum (Roxb.) Schott
 * Monstera jefense
 * Monstera pirrense


 * Rhaphidophora tetrasperma
 * Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum