Stats

Lifespan: Decades
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Central America
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

A tropical climbing aroid whose mature leaves develop dramatic oblong holes and deep splits, an adaptation thought to let wind and light pass through to lower foliage. Its rare ripe fruit tastes like a blend of pineapple and banana, but unripe fruit is laced with stinging calcium oxalate crystals.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Monstera
Species: Monstera deliciosa