Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera adansonii)

With its popularity growing exceptionally fast, we are happy to offer the Swiss Cheese Plant, also called Monstera adansonii. This is a very easy-to-grow houseplant with exotic, eye-catching foliage. Each mature leaf displays multiple oval holes, called fenestrations. These holes are theorized to allow sun and water through to the lower leaves in tropical environments and help the leaves stand up to forceful wind. Swiss Cheese Plant is meant to climb and when given a trellis or pole, it will reward you with larger leaves as the plant grows taller. Alternatively, when not climbing, the plant reverts to a more vine-like growth, sending out thin branches that look beautiful cascading from a hanging basket or draping over tables and windowsills. This plant prefers a fast draining soil mix, bright, indirect light and plenty of humidity.

There is much confusion about Monstera adansonii and Monstera obliqua. Obliqua’s leaves are very thin and 90% of the leaf surface is holes. Adansonii’s leaves are thicker with holes that cover about 50% of the leaf surface. Obliqua is extremely rare. Adansonii is often called M. obliqua but they are not the same species.