Monstera tuberculata

Monstera tuberculata
M. tuberculata in Costa Rica, in fruit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Monstera
Species:
M. tuberculata
Binomial name
Monstera tuberculata

Monstera tuberculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae.[1][2] It is sometimes referred to by the common names giant Monstera or giant velvet-leaf Monstera. It is native to Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Southeast and Southwest Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Veracruz.[1] It grows in lowland wet tropical biomes up to 200 metres (660 ft) in elevation.[3] Similar to Monstera dubia and a few other species in its genus, when young M. tuberculata has a shingle-like growth habit with leaves tightly pressed against the trunks of trees. As it matures, it has short-stemmed, oval leaves that lack the fenestrations of better-known species like Monstera deliciosa. Unusually for an aroid, its fruit hangs like a pendant.[4]

Varieties

There are two named varieties of Monstera tuberculata,[5][1] separated by region and with different fruit morphology.

  • Monstera tuberculata var. brevinoda — from Nicaragua to Panama
  • Monstera tuberculata var. tuberculata – Mexico and Belize

References

  1. ^ a b c "Monstera tuberculata Lundell". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  2. ^ "Monstera tuberculata Lundell". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  3. ^ Madison, Michael (1977). "A Revision of Monstera (Araceae)". Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (207): 3–100. doi:10.5962/p.336443. ISSN 0195-6094. JSTOR 41764722. S2CID 249074247.
  4. ^ Deni Bown (2000), Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family, Timber Press, p. 201, ISBN 978-0-88192-485-5
  5. ^ Govaerts, Rafaël; Frodin, D. G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae). Royal Botanic Gardens. ISBN 978-1-84246-036-8.

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