Monstera
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Middling It gives warning, with time to act.
Also called ceriman, custard plant, Cutleaf Philodendron, fruit salad plant, Hurricane Plant, Indian ivy, Mexican breadfruit, Split-leaf Philodendron, Swiss Cheese Plant and tarovine.
Monstera is toxic
- Toxic to cats. The plant holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Biting into it hurts and irritates the mouth, the lips and tongue can swell, and an animal may drool heavily, vomit (horses excepted) and struggle to swallow. ASPCA
- Toxic to dogs. The plant holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Biting into it hurts and irritates the mouth, the lips and tongue can swell, and an animal may drool heavily, vomit (horses excepted) and struggle to swallow. ASPCA
- Toxic to people. Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and eyes. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS
If your pet ate this plant, call your vet or a pet poison hotline right away.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Low light 100 fcClemson Extension · read 11 September 2026Partial shadeRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 11 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- The plant holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Biting into it hurts and irritates the mouth, the lips and tongue can swell, and an animal may drool heavily, vomit (horses excepted) and struggle to swallow.ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- The plant holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Biting into it hurts and irritates the mouth, the lips and tongue can swell, and an animal may drool heavily, vomit (horses excepted) and struggle to swallow.ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and eyes. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 11 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Brown brittle margins with a green centre
A narrow dry border on the monstera, often with a faint yellow line against the healthy tissue. It appears on several leaf blades at once rather than spreading from one.
Transpiration rises as the air dries, and the tissue furthest from a vein loses first. Penn State Extension notes there is no single humidity figure that suits every indoor plant, which is why this site publishes a range rather than a number.
Telling it apart: Whether it crumbles or smears. Crisp is water lost; soft and dark is cold or rot.
Penn State ExtensionDiagnose brown tips and edges on this Monstera- Soft yellow leaves low on the plant, soil still wet
Whole leaf blades yellow at once rather than browning at a margin, and the monstera looks deflated despite soil that has not dried since it was watered.
Its source calls for soil that is moist but well-drained. Past that, water in the pot displaces the air the roots need, and damaged roots then fail to supply the leaf blades above them.
Telling it apart: Whether the potting mix has dried at all since the last watering. A pot that has not dried in a fortnight is answering the question on its own.
RHSDiagnose yellowing leaves on this Monstera- The vine grows thin and sparse, and leans
Growth on the side of the monstera away from the light slows or stops, so the plant becomes lopsided over a few months.
Clemson puts its lower limit at low light. Kept darker than that, each new leaf blade costs more than it returns, so the vine builds fewer and thinner ones.
Telling it apart: Measure the gap between the newest two leaves against an older pair. Reaching is a change in spacing, not only in shade.
Clemson ExtensionDiagnose leggy growth on this Monstera
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Monstera.
Routine care
- Watering
- Water thoroughly, then let the upper quarter to one-third of the soil dry before watering again.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026During growth water; in winter keep just moist.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- While growing, feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Repotting
- In spring, prune or repot as needed, and wipe dust from the leaves often.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Use layering or stem cuttings to propagate.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed or take root tip or stem cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- In spring, prune or repot if needed, and wipe dust from the leaves regularly.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Usually no serious problems. Can be troubled by fern scale.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Greenhouse red spider mite and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Monstera deliciosa, the Swiss cheese plant or split-leaf philodendron, is a species of flowering plant. The common name "Swiss cheese plant" is also used for the related species from the same genus, Monstera adansonii. The common name "split-leaf philodendron" is also used for the species Philodendron bipinnatifidum.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas) to GuatemalaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Mexico to PanamaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mexico to PanamaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- Herbaceous Perennial, Vine; habit climbingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Climbing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 72–96 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 4-8 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 10–20 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers green, whiteNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in spring and summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
Only the ripe fruit can be eaten; it is eaten fresh or added to ice cream and drinks for flavor. Some people have allergies to it.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Monstera
Other Monstera
More of the Araceae family
AlocasiaBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Arrowhead plantEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
Calla lilyEdges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
Chinese evergreenBleached, papery patches on the leaves nearest the glass
Dumb caneLeaf tips go crisp and brown
Elephant earCrisp margins that appear in winter
Plants with similar care
BougainvilleaCrisp margins that appear in winter
Creeping figLeaf blade tips go crisp and brown
English ivyCrisp margins that appear in winter
Heartleaf philodendronA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Lacy tree philodendronEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
Purple passionLeaf blade tips go crisp and brown
Sources
- ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 11 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.