Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending an international Extension conference in Costa Rica. Extension agents, specialists, and students from all over converged on the city of San Jose to share research and successful outreach programs that touch nearly every corner of the world.
While we spent a lot of our time in a conference center, it’s hard to keep a group of inquisitive, hands-on folks indoors for too long. I explored the city on foot a bit, enjoying an interpretive landscape trail built along the Rio Agres, a river running through central San Jose. We also participated in tours led by Costa Rican guides. My tour consisted of a trip to the highest active volcano in Costa Rica, Irazu, along with the University of Costa Rica’s Lankester Botanical Garden.
An undergraduate ecotourism student led our garden tour, and the sheer number of wild tropical plants there could fill a year’s worth of blog articles. One species that stuck out to me, however, was the monstera plant. The scientific name of the most recognized species, Monstera deliciosa, is as fun a Latin binomial as I’ve ever seen, referring to its “monstrous” leaves and tasty fruit. I’d seen monstera in flower arrangements and as a houseplant, but catching them growing in the wild was a whole different story.
The leaves are large (2-3’ tall), shiny, bright green, reminiscent of a jumbo-sized elephant ear or philodendron (all members of the arum/Araceae family). I saw them growing as epiphytes within the nooks of a large banyan tree’s roots, along the river, and in large stands beneath tall rainforest trees in the botanical garden. Seedlings exhibit a property known as “negative phototropism,” in which they lean away from light and therefore towards trees, which they use for support. Monstera plants are climbing vines in the wild, but have been cultivated into potted plants.
Monstera differs from many other plants due to the gaps present within the broad leaf, giving rise to nicknames like the “Swiss cheese plant,” “split-leaf philodendron,” and “Adam’s ribs.” Our guide described it as a “friendly” plant, because the openings allow sunlight to filter down to cascading plants growing below in dense forest cover. Another horticulturist noted a theory that the plant evolved these leaf gaps to “outwit” insects interested in feeding on large, intact leaves. The gaps may trick the insect predator into thinking the plant has already been fed upon and therefore not worth the effort. Other theories for the openings include allowing rainwater to flow through leaves to the roots, or reducing wind damage.
You can find lots of information—including from UF IFAS Extension—about growing these plants outdoors. However, the IFAS Assessment for identifying invasive species considers it a high invasive risk in the United States, particularly in the warm subtropical climate of south Florida. Monstera is native to Mexico and Central America and therefore highly intolerant of cold. So, if you keep one of these, it’s best as an indoor plant. Unbeknownst to me while admiring them in Costa Rica, the National Garden Bureau named 2025 the “Year of the Monstera,” so their popularity as a houseplant is booming. Keep in mind, there are some precautions if you bring it indoors; the leaves contain oxalic acid and can cause skin irritation. All parts of the plant (except the ripe fruit) are also toxic to humans and pets if eaten.
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