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We have many more plants including species similar to the Monstera adansonii in our collection that will be profiled soon!
Plant Profile
Plant Profile
By Christine McCallum
Common Names: Vining Swiss Cheese Plant, Five Holes Plant, Adanson's Monstera
Family: Araceae │ Genus: Monstera │ Species: M. adansonii
Subspecies (4): M. adansonii subsp. adansonii, M. adansonii subsp. blanchetii, M. adansonii subsp. klotzschiana, M. adansonii subsp. laniata
Other Species in this Genus incl. (48): M. deliciosa, M. dubia, M. lechleriana, M Obliqua, M. siltepecana
Leaf
Leaf
Shape: Simple, ovate-elliptical
Colour: Dark Green, lighter green for young leaves
Features: Sheen on surface, smooth margin, perforated, visible venation
Features
Features
Growth Habit: Vine, Climbing hemiepiphytes (partly epiphytic)
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate (leaves alternate sides along stem)
Roots: Aerial Roots
Natural Habitat
Natural Habitat
Origin: Central and South America
Climate: Humid and tropical
Environment: Rainforest, climbing trees to the top of the canopy
As a Houseplant
As a Houseplant
The M. adansonii is an easy care houseplant. It will grow in almost any situation, wet and dry season. Perfect for beginner plant enthusiasts!
Pot: Self-watering pots work well for the Monstera sp. as they don't like being dry. Use a moss pole or decorative climbing frame to encourage vining or alternatively use a hanging pot and plant cuttings (or layer) back into the pot for a fuller look.
Substrate: Well draining soil with a high proportion of orchid bark or other coarse material. Easily grown in LECA, hydroponically or can even grow fully submerged in water.
Position: Moderate light, high humidity, away from air conditioners and not directly under fans.
Care: Water at least weekly, ensuring the plant is not left sitting in water. If the soil feels dry, then time to water. Misting and keeping the moss pole moist will help keep humidity high for those in colder climates.
Propagation
Propagation
Easily propagate cuttings in water, perlite or LECA.
Cut the stem just below a node (where a leaf grows out). Your cutting may have just one or two nodes. If you're propagating a long vine you may have a tip cutting with multiple nodes and an active growth point.
Use a clear glass vessel to easily keep and eye on your root growth. Ensure that at least one node of the cutting is submerged in your chosen substrate and put it in a bright warm spot. We love windowsills for displaying all of our glass vessels!
For more detailed information about how to propagate plants, refer to our Plant Tips pages.
Common Concerns
Common Concerns
So your plant isn't looking so good, what do you do now? There are lots of different things that could be happening, here are some of the most common for this species.
Dark brown patches on leaves: Monsteras are prone to over watering if potted in a dense soil or left sitting in a pot without drainage. Trim any dead or rotted leaves and repot in well draining soil asap. Don't water for a couple of days then resume watering less frequently and ensure all water drains away. Increase light to encourage faster regrowth.
Leaf discolouration: This is more often than not related to underwatering however can also indicate a bacterial disease. See below Pests & Diseases for more information.
Small leaves: Monsteras are climbing plants and thrive when reaching up towards the rainforest canopy. Indoors, this means that if your M. adansonii is in a hanging pot, the leaves will remain a smaller and more uniform size. Larger leaves are encouraged with climbing and more light. Small leaves can also indicate a plant that is root bound or lacking in nutrients.
Spindly growth: Climbing plants reach towards light and if positioned in low light or clustered in with other plants they are likely to grow spindly with smaller leaves. More light encourages larger leaves that are closer together (smaller internodes).
For other concerns and our suggested treatments check out our Plant Tips pages.
Pests & Diseases
Pests & Diseases
So your plant isn't looking so good, what do you do now? There are lots of different ways to combat pests and diseases, here are our tried and tested suggestions.
Pests: The most common pest we have experienced on our Monsteras would have to be Mealy Bugs. So keep an eye out for little white fluffy looking things in any crevices like where the leaf meets the stem. Wipe as many off as possible with rubbing alcohol then treat as directed with pest oil. If you have a large plant and you can't get on top of them, treat with a systemic insecticide tablet (usually one tablet per metre of plant height).
Spider mites are also common and are usually spotted when leaf discolouration occurs. Upon inspection fine webs are present in crevices and under leaves. Treat with pest oil or a rose gun insecticide.
Diseases: Bacterial and fungal diseases are prevalent in the tropics and are commonly found on our M. adansonii. Inspect any changes in leaf colour and all new leaves showing signs of deformity. Treat at first sign with a fungicide, we use a Mancozeb Fungicide and Miticide.
For advice about other pests and diseases and more treatment suggestions, check out our Plant Tips pages.
New Growth
Young Leaves
Mature Leaves
Climbing
This Plant Profile is a summary of plant characteristics and care requirements taken from our knowledge of the plant having grown it in our collection for some time. We have used Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants identification terms and characters when identifying plants. Links to more detailed information, useful websites and resources are listed on our Books & Resources page.
Useful Links: For this species, the following pages were particularly informative:
The Indoor Nursery: https://theindoornursery.com/glossary/types-of-monstera/monstera-adansonii-plant/
Images: All images on this page are of plants in Our Collection taken by Christine McCallum with the exception of:
Illustration of Natural Habitat: Monstera adansonii Schott var. klotzschiana - Specimen: Zappi D.C. 3410. ID:1110758 © RBG Kew https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This photo by Milliken, W of Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Plants of the World Online.
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