Plant Wiki

The open plant encyclopedia

Know any plant.
Grow it well.

Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.

  • 13,000+plants with full pages
  • 365,000+plant species worldwide
  • 220+countries covered

Common in

See all

The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.

What do you want to do?

Popular plants

Browse all plants

See them in 3D

All plants in 3D

Browse plants

Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.

Plant Wiki › Browse plants

Monstera

Monstera
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0

Monstera is a genus of about 59 tropical climbing aroids from Central and South America, with Monstera deliciosa the most widely grown houseplant for its large split leaves. Bright indirect light and well-draining, airy soil are the keys to growing it well.

Family
Araceae (Arum family)
Light
Full sun, Part shade, Bright indirect, Shade
Water
Water when the top few centimetres of soil feel dry, then water thoroughly and let excess drain away.
Soil
Chunky, well-draining mix with peat, perlite and orchid bark.
Temperature
18–29 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain calcium oxalate crystals that cause mouth and throat irritation, swelling and drooling if chewed.

About

Monstera is a genus of 59 species of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae, native to tropical regions of central and south America.

How to grow it

Monsteras are widely cultivated as ornamental houseplants around the world for their large, decorative foliage and tolerance of indoor conditions. They thrive in bright, indirect light similar to the dappled sunlight of their native tropical forests. Direct sunlight can scorch the leaves, while low light may slow growth and reduce leaf splitting.

These plants prefer well-draining, aerated soil rich in organic matter, often containing components such as peat, perlite, or orchid bark. Watering should be moderate—allowing the top layer of soil to dry slightly between waterings helps prevent root rot. High humidity and warm temperatures between 18–29 °C (65–85 °F) encourage vigorous growth.

Other Monstera plants

Monstera acacoyaguensis · Monstera acuminata · Adanson's monstera · Monstera anomala · Swiss Cheese plant

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Monstera by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Credits & terms

Identify a plant

Point at a leaf or flower and snap. One plant in frame works best.

Your photo
Starting camera…