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5 Intriguing Facts about the Monstera Flower

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Did you know that the Monstera deliciosa plant (AKA “Swiss Cheese Plant”) does indeed flower? Not only that, but it also produces an absolutely delicious fruit which I have tasted myself. Keep reading to find out all about the Monstera flower.

monstera-flower

The native range of Monstera deliciosa ranges from Mexico to Guatemala and it grows in wet, tropical conditions. It makes a wonderful houseplant and is very well-adapted to growing indoors.

Now let’s take a look at 5 cool facts about the Monstera flower.

ALL ABOUT THE MONSTERA FLOWER

1. DOES MONSTERA FLOWER?

Yes. All Monsteras including Monstera deliciosa, Monstera adansonii, and others will flower.

The genus Monstera belongs to the Araceae (aroid) plant family and they all have a distinctive, similar looking inflorescence (flowering structure).

monstera-flower
Monstera deliciosa inflorescence

As you can see in the photo of the Monstera deliciosa inflorescence above, it is composed of two main structures. The spadix is the cylindrical structure in the middle, and the spathe is the white bract behind it.

It is incorrect to call this a flower, but rather, it is called an inflorescence. The flowers are actually numerous, and tiny, and are found on the spadix. The spadix will grow to be about 4-6 inches long,

All plants in the aroid family have a similar looking inflorescence including Anthuriums, Philodendrons, Pothos, and even the common ZZ Plant and Peace Lily. Aroids make up a large portion of the plants that we know and love to grow indoors!

2. CAN INDOOR MONSTERAS FLOWER?

It’s very uncommon for a Monstera deliciosa to flower indoors. Unless you are growing one in a greenhouse, or outdoors in a climate that is warm year-round, it is unlikely to flower indoors in your home.

In fact, I have never seen one flower indoors. But I have seen them in bloom in my travels to warm climates where they grow outdoors. I’ve even seen one flower in a greenhouse in Ohio.

Although Monstera deliciosa is very well adapted to growing indoors and can easily become a beautiful specimen, the conditions inside the home are not conducive to flowering and it will rarely occur.

I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it is unlikely.

monstera-flower

They need pretty exacting conditions to bloom, similar to their native environment. This means warm temperatures, high humidity, plenty of water, and the appropriate light.

The flowers of Monstera deliciosa can be self-pollinating, since they have both male and female flowers, and they will actually produce an edible fruit!

3. MONSTERA FRUIT

Once the flowers are pollinated, the plant will produce a very tasty fruit. Here is what the fruit looks like on the plant.

monstera-fruit-edible-eat
An unripe Monstera deliciosa fruit.

Beware though, you must not eat an unripe fruit otherwise it may prove to be painful (causing a stinging sensation in your mouth) as a result of calcium oxalate crystals.

The fruits can take longer than a year to mature and ripen.

To learn more about the fruit, be sure not to miss my blog post on Monstera fruit. I had the pleasure of eating a ripe fruit, and it is absolutely delicious!

4. WHAT AGE DOES MONSTERA FLOWER?

In ideal conditions (meaning in its tropical habitat), it can take about 3 years for a plant to flower.

monstera-flower

5. WHAT DOES A MONSTERA DELICIOSA FLOWER SMELL LIKE?

Since I’ve never had the pleasure of smelling one myself, I reached out to my buddy Enid from NSE Tropicals, a fantastic grower and seller of unusual aroids.

Enid stated that the inflorescence has a slightly fruity scent, and “when it’s ready to be pollinated, it has a much stronger smell”, but otherwise the scent is only “very slight.”

Enid also mentioned “there is a certain point when it [the inflorescence] just opens when it’s receptive, usually in the evenings where the scent will be really strong trying to attract pollinators.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on Monstera flowering. Have you ever seen a Monstera in bloom? Comment below. I’d love to hear!

Mika

Saturday 30th of September 2023

I’m in Melbourne Australia in the foothills of the mountains, winter finished a bit early and my monsteria lives outside. I noticed something coming weeks ago… it’s was still only 15C days. This week the weather warmed and yep there’s a fruit! 🤯

Raffaele

Saturday 30th of September 2023

Lovely! I hope you're able to taste it when it is ripe. They're delicious! Just make sure they're ripe though otherwise it can be a painful experience :-)

Sue Morgan

Saturday 26th of August 2023

Hi, I live in Wales, and came across your page in a Google search to try and identify what was growing on my monstera in our oak framed conservatory. I had never seen this (I am 55 yrs old) and it’s two flower buds.

I hope you get this email because I would love to share pictures with you.

Raffaele

Saturday 26th of August 2023

Hi Sue, wow that sounds lovely! Would love to see. I will send you an email and you can reply with a photo. Thanks for sharing!

Nancy Geary

Saturday 19th of August 2023

My 20+ year old split leaf in Montana is ready to open blooms. First time ever

Raffaele

Saturday 19th of August 2023

Wow, amazing! Congrats!

Carla Costa

Sunday 26th of February 2023

Hi there I have one flowering atm and can’t wait to taste it, is it true I might be wanting a year?? Also do you know anything about helping it to pollinate? My grandmother had one when I was still a child and she told me that you had to rub it up and down with your hand to pollinate it to get it to fruit? I also tasted her one, again when I was a child, it was delicious and can’t wait to try that taste again, to bring back the memory. I’m in Queensland, Australia. But my grandmothers plant was in Sydney, Australia. Thank you for your post. I’ve been following you on instagram for many years. Cheers Carla

Raffaele

Tuesday 28th of February 2023

Hi Carla! I've never pollinated one, but your grandmother is probably correct :-) And yes, it is a long process from flowering to fruiting. It will be an exercise in patience! :-)

Arno Cilliers

Sunday 12th of February 2023

I have one in my garden currently blooming. I can't wait to taste the fruitt. I live in South Africa. In quite a dry climate so it's somewhat unusual. It's a very happy plant though.

Raffaele

Sunday 12th of February 2023

It's absolutely delicious! Just make sure it's ripe before you taste it :-)