Some call it Monstera Deliciosa
Why calling such a beautiful plant a monster will you say ? Well, if you have one at home you already know why: it just grows so big! In the wild it grows up to 70 ft (over 20m) and the leaves can often reach up to 35 inches (90cm) both in width and length.
The “deliciosa” part comes from its ripe fruit which is reported to taste like a combination of banana, pineapple, and mango. But careful (it is still a monster), the leaves are known be poisonous (because of calcium oxalate) so beware if you have kids or pets around likely to lick them.
Some call it Swiss Cheese or Hurricane Plant
Swiss Cheese is of course due to its aspect with the random holes in the leaves that appear at a more mature age of the plant.
Hurricane because the holes and the slits in the leaves are believed to make it more resistant to pouring rain and strong wind.
The origin
The Monstera is a flowering plant native to the tropical rainforests in the south of Mexico. Therefore it loves high humidity, shade and quite warm temperatures (from 20 to 30°C (68–86 °F)) . That’s why they are so easy to grow indoors (if your place is not too dry of course).
The hype
The Monstera counts among its admirers the renowned French painter Henri Matisse. He had a huge specimen in his studio and one of his latest piece of art, La Gerbe, was created using his well known cuts-outs technique and reminds a lot of the slits in the heart-shaped monstera leaves.
In a more contemporary time, Monsteras have spread on Pinterest as virally as in nature. You can see them in every minimal interior style shoot and I believe that’s how I first fell in love with them. Of course, soon enough I adopted one for my office, and seeing these beautiful leaves everyday inspired me to create my own little Monstera jewelry collection.
