Monstera adansonii also known as Monstera friedrichsthalii [Mon-STER-uh, Free-dreech-sta-lia-na] is a tropical plant, evergreen, glossy vine native to various regions of Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, South America, and Central America.
Its common name is the:
- Swiss cheese plant
- Five holes plant
- Monkey Mask Monstera
… because of its big heart-shaped leaves which are covered with holes. These holes make the plant look like Swiss cheese.
Other Monstera plants like Monstera deliciosa and Monstera obliqua look similar to adansonii. Monstera obliqua is much rarer than the Monstera adansonii vine.
If grown on a trellis the leaves tend to become larger. It might grow as far as 13′ feet.
When the leaves are mature, they grow as big as 20″ – 30″ inches.
According to botanists, these holes assist the plant in standing up and resisting high winds and allows light to pass through.
It’s great for smaller spaces since it doesn’t grow as big as the Monstera deliciosa.
12cm