Monstera deliciosa
A popular and common house plant, Monstera deliciosa is prized for its highly ornamental fenestrate foliage, but many people don’t know that it also produces an incredibly delicious fruit. A plant doesn’t earn the specific epithet “deliciosa” for nothing, and it certainly lives up to the name! Though it can be difficult to get them to fruit in northern climates, it is possible if the plant is happy enough. Looking like elongated cones from a conifer, the fruit is ready to eat when the hexagonal scales begin to fall off and reveal the fruit inside that looks like a combination of a corn cob and a banana. It is common for people to ripen them in brown paper bags or jars and wait for the scales to fall off. It is crucial that you only eat Monstera fruit when it is perfectly ripe as underripe fruit can cause itching and burning due to the high amount of oxalic acid present in the underripe fruit.
Latin Name: Monstera deliciosa
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Hardiness: Can be grown where temperatures don’t fall below freezing. If growing in a temperate climate you can grow it in a pot and move indoors for winter.
Bearing Age: 2 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 3-6 ft. in height.
Taste: Tropical, like a combination of banana, mango, passionfruit and pineapple!
Yield: a few dozen fruits on very happy and healthy plants
Pests & Diseases: We’ve not seen them be bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 10a