Botanical Name: Monstera Delicisiosa
Family: Araceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Alismatales
Genus: Monstera
Species: M. deliciosa
Common Names:Ceriman, Windowleaf, Swiss cheese plant, or just Cheese plant
Monstera deliciosa, delicious monster, monstera plant, monster plant, monster fruit, monsterio delicio, monstereo, hurricane plant, fruit salad plant, fruit salad tree, Swiss cheese plant, cheese plant, Mexican breadfruit, Penglai banana, ceriman, windowleaf, balazo, split leaf philodendron, and other localized names
Other common names: Fruit salad plant, Fruit salad tree (in reference to its edible fruit, which tastes similar to a fruit salad), Ceriman, Monster fruit, Monsterio delicio, Monstereo, Mexican breadfruit, Windowleaf, balazo, Penglai banana and (inaccurately) Split leaf philodendron. The names in Spanish (costilla de Adán), Portuguese (costela-de-adão), and French (plante gruyère) refer to the change of the leaves from entire to fenestrated (comparing it in the first two cases with the ribs of Adam and in the third with the hole-filled gruyère cheese). In Mexico, the plant is sometimes referred to as Piñanona. In coastal regions of Sicily, especially Palermo, it is called Zampa di leone (lion’s paw).
Habitat: Monstera Delicisiosa is native to tropical forests of southern Mexico, south to Panama. It has been introduced to many tropical areas, and has become a mildly invasive species in Hawaii, Seychelles, Ascension Island and the Society Islands. It grows in C. America – Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico. An epiphytic vine, growing in the branches of trees in moist or wet, mountain forests at elevations of 900 – 1,500 metres.
Description:……...CLICK & SEE
Monstera deliciosa, or Split-leaf Philodendron,it is vigorous, evergreen epiphytic climber from Central America and Mexico. It has a glossy green leaves that are pinnately split and perforate with rectangle holes. Leaves reach up to 3 feet in length and the stems will reach up to 30 feet or more. Stems are short and jointed, with cordlike arial roots that help support the plants as they climb.
Flowers…. .CLICK & SEE
: The flowers are a white spathe that will be reaching up to 12 inches long. The spadix is about 10 inches long and will mature into an edible fruit. The fruit has a pleasant aroma and tastes, to me, like a cross between banana and pineapple.
Fruits:…...CLICK & SEE
The fruit of Monstera deliciosa is up to 25 cm (10 in) long and 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) diameter, and it looks like a green ear of maize covered with hexagonal scales. As the fruit ripens, these scales or platelets fall off the fruit, releasing a strong and sweet scent. The smell has been compared to a combination of pineapples and bananas. The fruit is edible and safe for humans.
The delicious title comes from the fully matured fruit. When the fruit of the monstera plant is ready to eat, it is said to smell wonderful and to have a flavor evocative of fruit salad. A mixture of pineapple and banana. Some other names for the plant are Mexican Breadfruit and Locusts and Wild Honey.
Cultivation:
Monstera deliciosa is commonly grown outdoors as an ornamental plant in the tropics and subtropics. The plant requires a lot of space and a rich and loose soil (ideally garden soil and compost in equal parts). If it grows in the ground it is better to plant it near a tree, where it can climb, if not against a trellis. It is moderately greedy and needs to be watered just to keep the soil slightly moist. Its hardiness is 11 (that is to say the coldest at ?1 °C or 30 °F). It cannot withstand these temperatures for more than a few hours, but it can live outside in certain regions (Mediterranean coast, Britanny). A steady minimum temperature of at least 13–15 °C (55–59 °F) is preferable, allowing continuous growth. Growth ceases below 10 °C (50 °F) and it is killed by frost. It needs very bright exposure, but not full sun.
Forcing a M. deliciosa to flower outside of its typical tropical habitat proves to be difficult. Specific conditions need to be met for the plant to flower. However, in its tropical and subtropical habitat, the plant flowers easily. In ideal conditions it flowers about three years after planting. The plant can be propagated by taking cuttings of a mature plant or by air layering.
Propagation: Monstera deliciosa can be propagated from seed, cuttings, division or air layering.
Edible Uses:
The Fruit is edible. The monstrous fruit part is not hard to have a figure out. The unripened fruit of the plant contains oxalic acid with easy way to eat the fruit. This is evocative of the Alien monsters in a Sigourney Weaver movie-acid for blood. The delicious designation comes from the fully matured fruit. When the fruit of the plant is ready to eat, it is always said to smell heavenly and to have a flavor evocative of fruit salad. A fruit having a taste mixture of pineapple and banana.
Taste-“On the first day of the fruit, when picked, its flavour is like guava, and the second day it is like mangosteen, and the third day it is like lychee, the fourth is passion fruit taste, the fifth is sweetsop fruit; the sixth up to the eighth is grape fruit nature of taste.”‘The best flavour is on the ninth day where the fruit becomes perfectly ripe which tastes sweet and smells good.
Nutrition-Value-for-Monstera-Deliciousa
Fruit comparison tables. Overview of vitamin and mineral content including nutrition charts of the Monstera Deliciouso.
Nutritive value per 100 g of Monstera Deliciouso:
Principle Nutritive value:
Fat…… 1 g
Protein. 23 g
Carbohydrates 32 g
Calcium. 16 g
Thiamin. 0.01 mg
Phosphorus 10 g
Fiber… 0.4 g
Vitamin C 60 mg
Calories 10g
Medicinal Uses:
Parts used are roots,leaves and fruits.
Other Uses:
The aerial roots of these plants, as well as those of some other aroids, particularly Philodendron, often attain a great length, reaching from the branches of fairly high trees almost or quite to the ground. They are much used in Guatemala for making the so-called mimbre furniture, similar to the light rattan furniture made commonly in the United States. The dried roots, of uniform diameter, or sometimes the fresh ones, are wound tightly and evenly about a wooden frame, forming handsome and durable articles of furniture. The roots are also used to make strong baskets.
The long tendril-like aerial roots traditionally are used for ropemaking in Peru. They’re also worked into baskets in portions of southern Mexico.
Known Hazards:All parts of the plant contain calcium oxalate crystals. This substance is toxic fresh and, if eaten, makes the mouth, tongue and throat feel as if hundreds of small needles are digging in to them. However, calcium oxalate is easily broken down either by thoroughly cooking the plant or by fully drying it and, in either of these states, it is safe to eat the plant. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet.(All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction)
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstera_deliciosa
https://www.fruitsinfo.com/Monstera-Delicisiosa-Exotic-fruits.php
https://www.epicgardening.com/monstera-deliciosa/
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Monstera+deliciosa
