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| MaltaWildPlants.com by Stephen Mifsud |
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Monstera deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant) |
Monstera deliciosa (ARACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000. |
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| Nomenclature and Basic Information |
Species name : |
Monstera deliciosaLiebm.
Published in Vidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn 1: 19 (1849) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Araceae
Juss. (The Arum Family)
10 species from the Araceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Swiss Cheese Plant, Split-leaf philodendron, Monster fruit tree |
Maltese name(s) : |
Sieq l-iljun, Monstera |
Status for Malta : |
Casual or accidental alien. Species that was introduced in Malta rather recently and normally it is short-lived
or resticted to small populations for a short time, without becoming widespread or invasive. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 10 m high )
Germination [info]: Monocotyledon |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (2/Mar/2022) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
April – July |
Colour of Flowers: |
Green |
Toxicity: |
Mildy toxic, can cause adverse conditions if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Monstera:
deliciosa:
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Planting in rural areas : |
Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive (see ERA guidelines) |
Remarks : |
Never recorded in the wild in historic litearture but it has been spotted in natural habitats here and there in Gozo, including valleys. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Habitat in Europe: |
Data will be available in the next update of this website. | |
Preferred habitat in Malta: |
Shaded or sheltered areas such as shallow valleys, fields shaded with trees, old farmhouses. | |
Botanical Description: |
A large, coarse, epiphytic vine, often climbing high on trees, the caudex terete, as much as 6 cm. or even more in diameter, the internodes often 7 cm. long or more, the nodes frequently emitting long aerial roots that dangle far below the caudex; petioles 1 m. long or less, 2-2.5 cm. in diameter, the sheath ending far below the base of the blade, the node as much as 3 cm. long; blades of the primary leaves small, cordate, entire, of the succeeding leaves ovate-cordate and sparsely perforated; blades of the adult leaves 40-60 cm. wide or larger, thick-coriaceous when dried, bright green and lustrous above, somewhat paler beneath, cordate- ovate in outline, almost regularly pinnatifid and with few or numerous perfora- tions along the costa, the segments linear or broadly linear, somewhat dilated toward the apex and cuspidate-acuminate; peduncles 10-15 cm. long, 1-1.5 cm. thick; spathe coriaceous, broadly ovate, apiculate, 20-25 cm. long, 15-17 cm. wide when spread out, pale yellowish; spadix 17-20 cm. long, becoming thick and juicy in fruit; pistils turbinate; berries pale yellow, somewhat tinged with violet, 1 cm. long. | |
Native region outside Europe: |
Tropcal forests ranging from southern Mexico to south to Panama |
Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
(from Euro+Med Checklist, 2019)
Country codes
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[aAz(F G L)] |
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