Monstera Adansonii vs Monstera Deliciosa: Key Differences (with Pictures)

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In this article, we’ll tell you everything there is to know about Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii.

Keep reading to learn about:

  • The differences and similarities between Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii
  • The natural habitat of the Monstera genus
  • The different species of Monstera

And more!

Similarities

There are plenty of similarities between Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii.

Since both plants belong to the same aroid family, Araceae, and the Monstera genus, it makes sense that they’d have identical traits and characteristics.

Monstera deliciosa, Monkey Mask and Senecio Rowleyanus at home interior. Trendy exotic plants in hipster modern pots. Home gardening, caring of home plants.

Root System

Both Monstera plants share an identical root structure, the aerial root system. Aerial roots emerge from the stem, above the surface of the soil, or any other growing medium.

In addition to acting as sponges for absorbing water and mineral salts, these specialized roots allow these Monstera plants to latch onto surfaces, such as trees, walls, and climbing supports.

Consequently, the root system is why a Monstera plant has a ground creeping and vining nature.

However, it takes time for this “aboveground” root system to develop. They might not be visible in a younger plant.

Stem Structure

Monstera stems

While the Monstera deliciosa and adansonii are not the same height, they share an identical stem structure.

The Monstera plant body in both varieties is composed of the main stem, which has numerous nodes and no stolons.

Stolons are runners that protrude from the stem and grow new roots, to become full-fledged plants. These are commonly found in Monstera varieties like the Monstera obliqua.

On the other hand, the main stem in Monstera adansonii and deliciosa continually grows, and petioles emerge from its nodes for new growth.

The nodes appear round, with green and brown colored bumps along the stem. The internode distance in both varieties is almost similar, with that of Monstera deliciosa measuring around 4-10 cm and the adansonii measuring 3-10 cm.

Propagation    

Monstera Adansonii roots

Since the Monstera varieties share a genus, you can propagate their plant bodies similarly. Popular propagation methods include growing by seed, tissue culture, stem cuttings, and suckers.

Propagating a plant through cuttings is arguably the most successful and popular method for any Monstera plant.

You need to select a healthy region of the stem that contains at least two nodes. The stem is cut using gardening shears and is placed in water or planted in soil.

Then, new roots emerge within a few weeks. Monstera varieties are among the most widely propagated plants for an indoor garden.

Differences

While these Monstera varieties share certain similarities, each plant is widely different from the other.

The Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii carry differences in perforated leaves, leaf stems, edges, growing habits, height, size, and even price!

Learning these differences will help you recognize each Monstera plant and draw distinctions for buying and selling purposes.

Leaf Size

Monstera Deliciosa

Leaf size is an essential difference between Monstera deliciosa and adansonii.

Monstera adansonii typically produces smaller leaves than the deliciosa variety of the Monstera plant. Its ovate leaves develop to reach 10 to 30 inches in length and 6 to 18 inches in width.

On the other hand, a true deliciosa develops glossy, green leaves in truly monstrous sizes, hence the name.

While leaf length lies between 10 to 35 inches in most cases, Monstera deliciosa leaves can grow up to 40 inches in their natural habitat!

Compared to the adansonii, whose typical leaf will have a width of 6 to 18 inches, an average deliciosa leaf can have a width of 10 to 30 inches.

However, plants are living organisms and are subject to many exceptions. As such, leaf size can vary depending on environmental factors, such as sunlight, water, fertilizer, and the quality of the potting mix.

Leaf Edges

Like leaf size, leaf edges are an expected difference in most aroid plants, including Monstera pinnatipartita, Monstera dubia, Monstera obliqua, Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma, and the Split Leaf Philodendron.

Similarly, Monstera adansonii and delicious have distinct leaf edges. An adansonii leaf will have smooth edges, with the leaves having a straight and regular boundary, offering a semblance of symmetry in shape.

Contrastingly, a deliciosa plant has perforated leaves. These enormous leaf holes lie between the primary veins, extending between the midrib and the boundary, and cause gaps in the leaf edge.

While the leaf is smooth, the perforations give the boundary an irregular, slightly lopsided look.

Holes in the Leaves

The Monstera adansonii also has leaf holes, but they’re markedly different from perforations in a deliciosa plant, so they don’t interfere with the leaf edge.

Leaf holes in adansonii are typically narrow and can develop in several different shapes, which are commonly elliptical.

While they’re narrower and smaller than the holes on deliciosa, their frequency is unmatched. One leaf can have as many as 8 to 16 perforations, giving the plant the appearance of more holes than leaf!

On the other hand, a deliciosa leaf has much larger holes, typically measuring 0.5 to 1.0 cm long. There are also fewer holes in a deliciosa plant.

Moreover, their shape is typically oblong or semi-round in appearance, with roughly 1 to 5 perforations on either side of the midrib.

Leaf Shape

Monstera Adansonii

Monstera deliciosa is often confused with the Split Leaf Philodendron because of its large dark green leaves.

Sometimes called the Mexican Breadfruit because of its corn-shaped fruit, the deliciosa plant has deeply serrated glossy leaves, with the fenestrations often giving mature plants split leaf-like fingers.

Monstera adansonii has shorter heart-shaped leaves. The green leaves have properly enclosed fenestrations that actually look like leaf holes.

The oval-shaped holes adorn the ovate leaves and are why the adansonii plant is also called the Swiss cheese plant.

Growing Habits

Monstera Adansonii

Monstera varieties like adansonii and deliciosa are also completely a different type of monstera species; therefore, they have different growing habits.

Deliciosa plants have more sprawling growth patterns; they tend to crawl and expand horizontally. The feature might result in fewer holes and a large leaf size, which increases the weight of the plant.

As a result, deliciosa plants favor horizontal growth over vertical growth, although they do vine eventually.

On the other hand, Monstera adansonii is excellent for growing in hanging baskets. The Swiss cheese plant will droop downwards from the basket, favoring a trailing growth pattern, extending and hanging down.

If your Swiss cheese plant loves to vine and grows at a fast pace, it’s most probably an adansonii.

Geniculum

Although the Monstera deliciosa is not as much a rare plant as its relatives, like Monstera obliqua and Monstera dubia, it still possesses a unique feature that is not found in any other plant of the genus.

The geniculum of Monstera deliciosa is highly unique and specialized in performing a particular function. It’s the part of the plant where the stem or petiole meets the leaf.

As the deliciosa plant reaches maturity, the geniculum becomes thick and wrinkly, which is called ruffles.

Since the upper base of the leaf is waxy and has a large surface area, the muscular geniculum provides mechanical support and stabilizes the leaf base, allowing it to move towards or away from the sun and along heavy winds.

Contrastingly, Monstera adansonii and other Monstera varieties develop a wrinkly geniculum neither during infancy nor upon reaching maturity.

The point where the petiole or leaf stalk meets the leafy body is smooth, straight, and sleek.

Hence, the geniculum alone makes the deliciosa plant a unique Monstera species.

Plant Height

Monstera varieties are often grown in hanging baskets as trailing vines since they’re excellent climbers.

If your plant is vining rapidly but is short in length, with a sleek outlook, you might have an adansonii on your hands.

Monstera adansonii is up to 10 feet shorter than the deliciosa plant. It can reach up to 7 to 20 feet in height, while the deliciosa plant can reach up to 30 feet.

In their natural outdoor environment, deliciosa plants can reach even taller heights!

Plant Price

Monstera deliciosa is exceptionally pricey, especially the variegated varieties. Plant cuttings can cost anywhere from a few dollars to $50, while mature plants can cost hundreds more.

Moreover, a variegated plant, like variegated Monstera borsigniana, can set you back several thousand dollars!

Compared to deliciosa varieties, Monstera adansonii plants are typically cheaper to buy. Even variegated adansonii plants rarely cost more than a few hundred dollars, although variegation is a slippery slope, and there will always be exceptions!

You can head over to Etsy to compare the prices yourself!

Monstera Adansonii

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Monstera Variegata?

Monstera varieties that are subspecies or members of the same species with different coloration and color distribution are called Monstera Variegata.

The term is often used interchangeably for the Monstera deliciosa variegata, a variegated deliciosa plant where the color difference arises from natural genetic mutations.

Direct sunlight is highly harmful to variegated Monstera varieties since the lack of color comes from the absence of chlorophyll, the pigment which gives plants their characteristic green color.

Is Mini Monstera a Deliciosa Variety?

No, the mini Monstera is not even among Monstera varieties. It belongs to the genus Rhaphidophora and the species tetrasperma.

These miniature greens are incorrectly dubbed Monstera varieties because they bear a striking resemblance.

This might be because they share the same Araceae family and are close relatives.

Is Monstera Siltepecana the Same as Monstera Adansonii?

Tiny tropical 'Monstera Siltepecana' houseplant in flower pot isolated on white background

This Monstera plant is similar in growing habits to adansonii but belongs to a different species.

Although it doesn’t have fenestrations, it resembles adansonii in shape and size, although siltepecana leaves are more textured, with a whitish sheen on them.

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