--- title: "Monstera: classification, 73 accepted species, distribution and growing indoors | Floreboard" url: https://floreboard.com/en/plants/monstera/ language: en last_reviewed: 2026-10-24 publisher: Floreboard --- Berliner allgemeine Gartenzeitung · Taf. IV · 1857 · public domain # Monstera Adans. monsteras · Araceae - **Accepted name:** Monstera Adans. - **First published:** Fam. Pl. 2: 470 (1763) - **Family:** Araceae - **Accepted species:** 73 (including 0 natural hybrids) - **Native range:** 29 TDWG regions, Mexico to tropical America - **Common names:** monsteras - **Databases:** [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:330206-2) · [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/n/330206-2) · [WCVP](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232/taxon/129565) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/8VZGZ) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2868125) ## Overview Monstera belongs to the arum family, Araceae; Kew gives its native range as Mexico to tropical America. The RHS describes these climbers as coming from the tropical forests of southern Mexico and South America; the one most grown indoors is M. deliciosa, which WCVP records as native to southern Mexico and Guatemala. Florists use its large divided leaves as cut foliage. ## Classification and characters Adanson published the genus in 1763. CATE Araceae describes evergreen climbing herbs whose leaves are often conspicuously and elaborately perforated; the spathe is boat-shaped, somewhat rolled at the base and white to rose inside; the spadix is stalkless, nearly cylindrical and a little shorter than the spathe; and the berry holds one to three seeds, shedding its prismatic style region when ripe, pulpy within. The plate above, from the Berliner allgemeine Gartenzeitung (1857), is printed Monstera Lennea C. Koch, a synonym of M. deliciosa in WCVP. | Genus name | Published in | | --- | --- | | Serangium Wood ex Salisb. | Gen. Pl.: 5 (1866) | | Tornelia Gutierrez ex Schott | Gen. Aroid.: t. 74 (1858) | ## Distribution WCVP records the genus as native to 29 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 10 more. BelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorEl SalvadorFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHondurasLeeward Is.Mexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestNetherlands AntillesNicaraguaPanamáPeruSurinameTrinidad-TobagoVenezuelaWindward Is. ### Introduced AscensionAzoresBalearesBangladeshComorosCook Is.KoreaPuerto RicoSeychellesSociety Is. ## Accepted species WCVP accepts 73 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-24. | Name | On this site | | --- | --- | | Monstera acacoyaguensis Matuda | | | Monstera acuminata K.Koch | | | Monstera adansonii Schott | 1 plate | | Monstera alcirana Croat, M.Cedeño, Zuluaga & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera alfaroi Croat & M.Cedeño | | | Monstera amargalensis Croat & M.M.Mora | | | Monstera anomala Zuluaga & Croat | | | Monstera aureopinnata Croat | | | Monstera barrieri Croat, Moonen & Poncy | | | Monstera bocatorensis Croat & M.Cedeño | | | Monstera boliviana Rusby | | | Monstera buseyi Croat & Grayum | | | Monstera caribaea M.Cedeño, O.Ortiz & A.Hay | | | Monstera cedenoi O.Ortiz, Croat & J.Hughes | | | Monstera cenepensis Croat | | | Monstera coclensis Croat | | | Monstera colossica M.Cedeño & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera corana M.Cedeño & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera costaricensis (Engl. & K.Krause) Croat & Grayum | | | Monstera croatii M.Cedeño & A.Hay | | | Monstera deliciosa Liebm. | 1 plate | | Monstera dissecta (Schott) Croat & Grayum | | | Monstera donosoensis Croat, M.Cedeño & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera dubia (Kunth) Engl. & K.Krause | | | Monstera egregia Schott | | | Monstera epipremnoides Engl. | | | Monstera filamentosa Croat & Grayum | | | Monstera florescanoana Croat, T.Krömer & Acebey | | | Monstera gambensis M.Cedeño & M.A.Blanco | | | Monstera gentryi Croat, M.Cedeño & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera gigas Croat, Zuluaga, M.Cedeño & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera glaucescens Croat & Grayum | | | Monstera gracilis Engl. | | | Monstera guzmanjacobiae Diaz Jim., M.Cedeño, Zuluaga & Aguilar-Rodr. | | | Monstera harrisoniorum Croat, M.Cedeño & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera integrifolia Zuluaga & Croat | | | Monstera juliusii M.Cedeño & Croat | | | Monstera kessleri Croat | | | Monstera kikiae Zuluaga & M.Cedeño | | | Monstera lamersiana M.Cedeño & A.Hay | | | Monstera lechleriana Schott | | | Monstera lentii Croat & Grayum | | | Monstera limitaris M.Cedeño | | | Monstera luteynii Madison | | | Monstera maderaverde Grayum & Karney | | | Monstera membranacea Madison | | | Monstera minima Madison | | | Monstera mittermeieri M.Cedeño | | | Monstera molinae Croat & Grayum | | | Monstera momoi Zuluaga & M.Cedeño | | | Monstera monteverdensis M.Cedeño & Croat | | | Monstera ngabensis Croat | | | Monstera obliqua Miq. | | | Monstera oreophila Madison | | | Monstera panamensis M.Cedeño & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera pinnatipartita Schott | | | Monstera pittieri Engl. | | | Monstera planadensis Croat | | | Monstera praetermissa E.G.Gonç. & Temponi | | | Monstera punctulata (Schott) Schott ex Engl. | | | Monstera siltepecana Matuda | | | Monstera spruceana (Schott) Engl. | | | Monstera standleyana G.S.Bunting | | | Monstera subpinnata (Schott) Engl. | | | Monstera tablasensis M.Cedeño | | | Monstera tacanaensis Matuda | | | Monstera tarrazuensis Croat & M.Cedeño | | | Monstera tenuis K.Koch | | | Monstera titanum Croat, M.Cedeño & O.Ortiz | | | Monstera tuberculata Lundell | | | Monstera vasquezii Croat | | | Monstera wilsoniensis M.Cedeño & Grayum | | | Monstera xanthospatha Madison | | ## Historic plates Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page. - [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/plantarum-icones-monstera-adansonii.jpg)Dracontium pertusumPlantarum indigenarum et exoticarum icones ad vivum coloratae · 1791, - [](https://floreboard.com/plants/plates/berliner-gartenzeitung-1857-4.jpg)Monstera Lennea C. KochBerliner allgemeine Gartenzeitung · Taf. IV · 1857, ## Growing indoors and safety The RHS notes that the heart-shaped leaves usually only show the characteristic holes once plants are a few years old, with more fenestrations once the plant is climbing; stems produce roots that attach to trees and support the climb, so indoors it benefits from a moss pole. It likes indirect light, as direct sun scorches the leaves; keep it at 18–25 °C all year, and let the compost become almost dry before watering thoroughly. The plants are poisonous: wear gloves when handling them and keep them away from children and pets. ## Further reading - [Flower guide](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/monstera/) - [Reference library](https://floreboard.com/en/library/) ## References - [WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232)](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/2232) · accessed 2026-10-24 - [Kew (POWO data on the ColPlanta site) · Monstera, with genus description from CATE Araceae](https://colplanta.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:330206-2/general-information) - [RHS · How to grow Swiss cheese plants](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/swiss-cheese-plants/how-to-grow-swiss-cheese-plants) Names, places of publication, synonyms and distribution checked against WCVP (2026-10-24); the text follows the cited sources and awaits specialist review.