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Monstera alfaroi is a climbing aroid from the mid-altitude rainforests of Costa Rica, grown for its large, fenestrated leaves. It is a less common relative of the popular Swiss cheese plant and needs warm, humid, bright conditions with a chunky, well-draining mix.
Monstera alfaroi is a flowering plant in the arum family. It is endemic to mid-altitude premontane rainforests of Costa Rica at altitudes of 1,100 to 1,250 metres (3,610 to 4,100 ft). M. alfaroi features light brown petioles with black or white warts. It is closely related to Monstera buseyi, but M. alfaroi can be distinguished by its larger inflorescence. M. alfaroi is also easily confused with M. costaricensis, which can be distinguished from M. alfaroi by its petioles with white pustules, more conical inflorescence, and location; M. costaricensis only occurs in lowland areas of Costa Rica below 600 metres (2,000 ft). Mature plants have ovate leaf blades as long as 90 centimetres (35 in) and 45 centimetres (18 in) wide, with few circular fenestrations near the midrib. From petiole to blade tip, M. alfaroi leaves can be up to 160 centimetres (63 in) long.
Monstera acacoyaguensis · Monstera acuminata · Adanson's monstera · Monstera alcirana · Monstera amargalensis · Monstera anomala · Monstera aureopinnata · Monstera barrieri · Monstera boliviana · Monstera buseyi · Monstera cenepensis · Monstera costaricensis
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Monstera alfaroi 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
