In this article, we’ll tell you everything there is to know about the Monstera pinnatipartita.
Keep on reading to learn about:
- Monstera pinnatipartita care guidelines
- How to grow Monstera pinnatipartita outdoors
- How to grow Monstera pinnatipartita indoors
- Where to buy Monstera pinnatipartita
And more!
Genus
The Monstera pinnatipartita is a popular indoor plant belonging to the Monstera genus.
Plants from the Monstera genus belong to the arum family, Araceae, or the aroids.
The arum family encompasses several genera, which include notable plant species like Monstera deliciosa, Split Leaf Philodendron, and several other plants.
Monstera pinnatipartita is a part of this family like its relatives and is one of over 30 accepted species of the genus. Not all Monstera varieties are accepted species; some are mere variegated type of monstera plants.
Common Names
Monstera pinnatipartita’s common names include several you might have come across in the past, such as Swiss cheese plant and Split Leaf Philodendron.
Since it’s extremely rare, identification can be tricky. The Monstera pinnatipartita is often referred to as a Mexican plant, a hurricane plant, and the Philodendron silver queen.
The Swiss cheese plant is arguably the most common nickname, a moniker used interchangeably for several Monstera varieties.
Perhaps, the most inappropriate nickname for the plant is the Split Leaf Philodendron or the Philodendron silver queen since these don’t even belong to the Monstera genus!
Botanical Names
The scientific name for this trendy indoor plant is Monstera pinnatipartita Schott. Pinnatipartita refers to the species, while Monstera is the plant’s genus.
As previously discussed, there are over 100 different types of Monstera plants, but only 30-something are accepted species names.
Similarly, Monstera pinnatipartita Schott was accepted as a species in the genus Monstera in 2002 by The Board of Trustees of theRoyal Botanic Gardens.
You can find more details on its name on the Plant List, such as the date of the original publication for this Monstera variety.
Varieties of Monstera Pinnatipartita
There are no varieties of the Monstera pinnatipartita except variegated ones and those that resemble it.
Keep in mind that it is near impossible (we couldn’t manage it either) to source a variegated Monstera of this species, although they do exist because all living things tend to mutate over time.
However, several varieties in the aroid family closely resemble the exotic plant in their features.
Monstera Deliciosa
Monstera deliciosa is a close relative of Monstera pinnatipartita and shares the Swiss cheese plant nickname.
Plants of the Deliciosa species have leathery, dark green leaves with many fenestrations on them. The fenestrations in Monstera deliciosa rarely cause the leaves to split. When they do, the splits never reach the leaf’s midrib.
Monstera Peru
Monstera Peru is another rare species. It is unique for its lack of fenestrations, even in the Monstera genus.
It does not split, nor does its leaves produce fenestrations. However, the plant is prized for its glossy green leaves and venation.
The deep green venation becomes more pronounced in the mature plant. Although it is small in size, growing only 1-2 ft. in height indoors, people love growing it on a moss pole to flaunt the beautiful leaves!
Split Leaf Philodendron
The split leaf is a popular aroid often confused with deliciosa plants, although both hail from different genera.
It’s a close relative of the pothos plant, and unlike many Monstera species, does not produce fenestrations.
Instead, it’s prized for producing splits in its waxy green leaves, which have earned it the monikers Lacy Tree Philodendron and Horsehead Philodendron.
Moreover, its leaves are large, glossy, and heart-shaped. They form splits or cuts when the plant matures.
Unlike Monstera plants, which are climbers, Philodendron leaves grow so large that their stems droop to the ground.
Origin Of Monstera Pinnatipartita
Like its Monstera relatives, this vining plant originates in Central and South America. It prefers a neotropical natural environment.
Therefore, the plant’s natural habitat includes regions in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. There have also been reports of the plant in Costa Rica.
It can exhibit a ground creeping growth pattern as an outdoor plant, sprawling across the jungle floor.
Most often, Monstera pinnatipartita grows as a climbing vine, exhibiting an epiphytic growth pattern.
Epiphytes latch onto other plants, using their roots to gather nutrients and water from the air and their host.
Organic debris from the host, such as decaying vegetation or animal droppings, is also used as a source of nourishment for the plant.
As indoor plants, their roots grow beneath the soil, but you can add climbing support to help promote their vertical growth!
Care Guidelines
Growing Monstera pinnatipartita is effortless if you understand its natural habitat.
Since outdoor Monstera pinnatipartita live in the warm temperatures of the jungles, these tropical plants thrive in bright shade, high humidity, and moist soil.
They utilize the rich organic matter concentrated in the forest’s soil and absorb the filtered rays of the direct sun penetrating the canopy to grow.
Consequently, it would help if you emulated these conditions to grow Monstera pinnatipartita at home.
Unlike many fussy plants, Monstera pinnatipartita care guidelines revolve around light, humidity, and fertilizing requirements. Other needs like the quality potting mixes and watering requirements are mere offshoots of these conditions.
Light
Since its a tropical plant, Monstera pinnatipartita grows in the jungles of South America under the forest canopy.
Consequently, the dark green leaves of the forest canopy protect the plants from direct sunlight.
Thus, indoor requirements for your house plant involve bright shade or bright indirect sunlight.
Since the plant is susceptible to scorching from direct sunlight, find a north-facing window. Grow Monstera pinnatipartita a few feet away from the window, so it has access to indirect light for at least 6-8 hours daily.
For growing the same plants outdoors, find a spot near a tree or a wall to shade them from the direct sun.
Greenhouses and conservatories are excellent options for outdoor growth. Unlike many of their cousins, Monstera pinnatipartita plants can survive in low light conditions, although they prefer bright light.
However, they might not grow as rapidly in low light, so keeping that in mind is essential.
Watering
Hailing from tropical jungles, these plants thrive in high humidity and high moisture conditions.
However, remember to keep the soil moist, not wet. Drowning the soil in water puts it at risk of waterlogging.
Waterlogged soil will drown the roots, leading to root rot. Therefore, gardeners recommend watering the soil only when it is completely dry.
Although there is no set rule for watering, conditions like humidity, temperature, and light intensity dictate watering frequency to keep the soil moist.
You can try two things to that extent. First, never water before checking the top two inches of the soil. Moist soil will feel damp and cold, indicating no need for more water.
On the other hand, if the top two inches of soil are dry and compressed, it’s a sign that thorough watering is required.
Second, try to acclimatize the plant. Your Monstera pinnatipartita can increase its water uptake to promote growth, but it’s essential to let it acclimatize first.
Therefore, start watering once a week to let it get used to the amount. If you spot yellow leaves, cut back on the amount and frequency, gradually bringing it back up in the following weeks.
Slowly but surely, your plant will begin adapting to the amount and frequency of its watering sessions.
Finally, always water the plant deeply until you can see it exit the drainage holes, especially if you’re using fertilizer.
Humidity
Humidity is a crucial component of Monstera pinnatipartita care. These Monstera plants are exposed to high humidity due to excessive rainfall and high temperatures in their natural habitat.
You can grow Monstera pinnatipartita in moderately humid conditions, but the plant thrives when conditions are over 60% humidity.
You can place the pots or containers near a humidifier to facilitate growing conditions. If you don’t want to invest in one, you can make a grove for them, place them in a water pebble tray, or grow them with other plants.
Growing with other plants helps create a warm and humid environment that these epiphytes love.
A bathroom is another excellent contender when it comes to growing locations. It’s one of the most humid places in a house.
Finally, you can line the top layer of soil with moist moss to concentrate water vapor around the growing plant and increase humidity.
Fertilizer
Proficient gardeners and house plant owners grow Monstera pinnatipartita in soil and potting mixes combined with organic manure.
Like Monstera deliciosa plants, they thrive with additional feeding. Decomposed organic matter, like compost, acts as slow-release organic food for them.
Additionally, you can top it off with a standard NPK fertilizer, which has a balanced ratio like 20:20:20. You can also go for a higher nitrogen concentration (20:10:10) to promote leafy growth, producing a more significant sized plant.
During the growing season, you can administer organic manure every few weeks to give the plants a boost. However, cut back on fertilizing during fall and winter since Monstera pinnatipartita will enter dormancy.
Soil Mix Recommendations
Monstera pinnatipartita plant grows in slightly acidic soil like all its close relatives. Adding activated charcoal helps ensure optimal pH levels (5.0-7.0).
Due to its creeping and trailing vine nature, Monstera pinnatipartita isn’t particularly fussy about soil requirements. The central aspect you should focus on is moisture retention and drainage.
Most of the plant’s nutrition comes from new roots, which grow along the length of the stem. These aerial roots attach to trees in the wild to obtain food.
Indoors, you will have to rely on both new roots growing beneath the soil and aerial roots growing along a moss pole or any other vertical support.
An ideal soil mix to grow Monstera pinnatipartita should contain plenty of organic matter like compost, mulch, orchid bark, peat moss or sphagnum moss, and animal dung.
The above components should cover 50% of your soil, while the remaining 50% should be sandy potting soil.
While orchid bark and sphagnum moss will help your soil retain moisture, the sandy part will help with aeration, helping your Monstera pinnatipartita breathe freely.
Add perlite to your mix to maintain humidity to keep the moss moist. Aeration will help aerial roots and allow the soil to drain excess water.
As you’ll realize in later portions, drainage is essential if you want to grow Monstera pinnatipartita at home.
You can always buy a store-bought one if you don’t want to make your mix. The Anthurium plant is a very close species to Monstera pinnatipartita.
Since its reduced supply makes the Monstera pinnatipartita rare, you can opt for a good Anthurium plant soil mix for your plant!
Pot Types and Pot Sizes
One of the best Monstera pinnatipartita care tips is to grow it like a climber instead of a trailing vine.
Like Monstera deliciosa, it can produce a large number of aerial roots. It will help if you use a medium-to-large container with climbing support, such as a wooden trellis or moss pole.
The support will provide a point of attachment for the aerial roots, helping the plant climb with its stems. The aerial roots will dangle as the plant grows upward to provide balance.
The large size of the container and the nature of your soil will help the roots breathe since they like an airy environment. A large container will also help the plant sit comfortably without losing balance from being top-heavy.
Finally, make sure the pot you use has adequate drainage holes. While the soil mix will help with aeration, only drainage holes can help provide an exit point for excess water.
You don’t want waterlogged soil to cause root rot because it will most certainly kill off your rare house plant.
Repotting
Monstera pinnatipartita has a moderate growth rate and does not quickly become root-bound like other Monstera varieties.
As a result, repotting is typically recommended every two to three years. You won’t have to play guess games either.
There are clear indicators of repotting. These include yellow leaves and stunted plant growth.
Healthy growth does not involve leaves that curl, so if your plant’s foliage shows discoloration and curling, it might be time to repot.
Moreover, the roots might also start growing out of the pot’s drainage holes. These are adequate indicators.
When planning to repot, choose a container only 2-3 inches wider in diameter. Depth is more important here.
Therefore, ensure the new container is deep enough to accommodate the existing roots and facilitate further growth.
Use fresh soil for the new container and water your plant well to help firm the soil around the main stem. The first repotting is an ideal time to add a sphagnum moss pole to promote rapid vertical growth.
Lastly, your pot should have plenty of holes for drainage, and repotting should preferably be done during the growing season.
Ideal Growing Zones
Monstera pinnatipartita thrives in neotropical climates. USA hardiness zones between 10b through 12 are more than ideal for growing Monsters pinnatipartita.
You can also grow Monstera pinnatipartita outdoors all year round in these zones. The same can’t be said of other regions since these plants are not frost-hardy.
While they can survive in chilly temperatures, they cannot grow in conditions below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The best temperature range to grow Monstera pinnatipartita lies between 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit, with active growth starting at 65 degrees.
Maintaining these temperatures indoors is more manageable, and you won’t have to pay much attention to hardy climatic zones.
However, care should be taken that humidity does not fall when focusing on temperature. Just like frost, dryness can also kill off your plant quickly.
Propagation
The best method to propagate Monstera pinnatipartita is through stem tip cuttings. Tip cuttings easily root in both water and soil.
Over time, aerial roots will also grow from the stem to facilitate propagation. There are three methods to propagate Monstera pinnatipartita using cuttings.
Monstera Pinnatipartita Propagation Methods
Monstera pinnatipartita cuttings can be propagated in soil and water. Another popular method is air layering.
First, let’s take a look at the requirements.
Materials
- Well-drained soil
- Pot
- Sterilized garden shears
- Rooting hormone
- Sealable transparent plastic bag
Propagation in Soil
Start by adding fresh soil to the new pot. Thoroughly water the soil until the excess starts draining through the holes.
Now follow these steps:
- Select a healthy stem tip, at least 4-6 inches long. It should have 2-3 leaf nodes and preferably some aerial roots.
- Apply the rooting hormone to the cut end.
- Make a hole in the soil by using a pencil or poking with your finger.
- Plant the cutting in the holes, up to two nodes.
- Cover with soil, lightly tamping it to ensure the cutting is firm and upright.
- Mist the plant and cover it with a plastic bag, sealing it. Leave a small opening to allow the cutting to breathe.
- Place it in bright shade, under indirect light, and don’t allow the temperature to exceed 75 degrees.
- Routinely remove the plastic bag for a few hours to allow breathing.
- Keep the soil moist but not soggy.
New roots will grow in 4-6 weeks, while fresh leaves will grow after eight weeks.
You can transplant your cutting after observing new leaf formation.
Propagation in Water
Propagation through water is not different than the first method. We’re only changing the growing medium.
Instead of using soil, we root our cuttings in water. Care should be taken not to submerge Monstera pinnatipartita leaves in the water.
Additionally, the water should be changed every 3-4 days or if it begins to look unclean.
Roots will sprout from the nodes in 1-2 weeks. You can transplant the cutting to the soil once they reach 2-3 inches in length.
After acclimatizing the plant for roughly eight weeks, you can transfer it to a growing pot with your regular soil mix.
Air Layering
You will need sphagnum moss and a piece of string for this method.
First, locate an ideal stem for propagation. It should have some leaves and at least two nodes.
Once you’ve selected a section, make a shallow cut near the node, not more than a quarter of the stem’s thickness.
Wrap the cut with moist moss to increase humidity. Cover it with a clear plastic bag, and secure the set-up with a loosely tied string.
Lightly mist the moss from time to time to keep it moist. You will observe new roots within a few months.
When the roots become at least two inches long, cut below them and plant the cutting in regular soil.
Pests
Like their Monstera relatives, Monstera pinnatipartita can suffer from pests like spider mites, scales, and mealy bugs.
Spider mites will leave white and yellow spots on your leaves. You can tackle them using neem oil or organic insecticidal soap.
Mealybugs concentrate on the underside of leaves and lay eggs. Use a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol to wipe the leaves clean.
Scales will appear as tiny bumps on the stems. You can either scrape them off or use an organic insecticide to get rid of them
Diseases
Monstera pinnatipartita is susceptible to conditions like root rot, leaf spot, blight, and powdery mildew.
You only need to worry about rotting roots since other diseases are not common in this species.
You can prevent rot by using sterilized prunin shears and removing the affected portion.
Foliage & Leaf Shapes
This Monstera variety has oval-to-elliptical, glossy, leathery juvenile leaves with dark green to light green variegation.
Their texture is slightly bullate, with prominent green veins. As the plant matures, its leaves will dramatically increase in size, losing their bi-coloration and becoming deeply fenestrated.
Mature Monstera pinnatipartita leaves are dark green on the upper side and have light green variegation on the underside.
The fenestration also becomes monstrously large, appearing as deep splits reaching the midrib.
Growth and Maturation
With a moderate growth rate, Monstera pinnatipartita can grow as long as 33-66 feet outdoor, spanning more than 10 feet wide.
Indoor plants don’t grow as large and have an average height of 4-6 feet. Your plant will add approximately 1-2 feet to its height annually.
If you add vertical support, you can grow Monstera pinnatipartita at a somewhat higher rate.
Outdoor plants will also produce waxy flowers with a white spathe wrapped around a spadix. The tiny blossoms adorn the spadix, capturing every plant lover’s eyes.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
Let’s look at some common problems and learn how to fix them.
Root Rot
Overwatering and poorly drained soil can cause this condition. Root rot can either be bacterial or fungal.
Brown edges on leaves or discoloration of the plant are common telltale signs of root rot.
Cut off all infected regions of the root system with sterilized gardening shears, and repot the plant in fresh soil to avoid the problem.
Fungicidal root rot is particularly dangerous, and you will need to clean the plant container with a robust fungicidal solution.
Yellowing Leaves
Again, the yellowing of leaves is a common sign of overwatering. However, underwatering can also induce a similar response in plants.
Cutting back on the watering can help solve the problem. We can still rule out overwatering as the issue if it doesn’t work out.
Placing your Monstera pinnatipartita under the direct sun is another common cause, and you may want to transfer it to a shady spot.
Leaves Dropping
Monstera pinnatipartita leaves drop due to poor growing conditions like improper watering, insufficient nutrition, and low humidity.
If you’ve been lacking in these Monstera pinnatipartita care elements, it’s time to take a more proactive approach to care for your plant.
Care Tips
Monstera pinnatipartita care tips are straightforward to follow. The tropical plant thrives in warm temperatures, high humidity, and well-draining soil.
Ensure you provide adequate indirect sunlight and climbing support to help the plant’s vertical growth.
Where to Buy & Price
Monstera pinnatipartita is very rare. It can be difficult to source it from your local gardening store.
Even large-scale online marketplaces like Amazon might not have verified sellers.
In our experience, Etsy is the best marketplace to buy Monstera pinnatipartita. It can cost anywhere between $50 to a little over $100.
However, mature plants can go for thousands of dollars. Etsy is currently featuring a mature Monstera pinnatipartita for more than $3000!
Toxicity to People & Pets
Because of calcium oxalate crystals, Monstera varieties are mildly toxic to people and animals.
While not fatal, ingesting the plant or its contact with the skin can cause burning, pain, inflammation, and irritation. Indigestion is also quite common, so it’s best to keep children and pets away from the plant.
Similar Plants
Monstera pinnatipartita resembles the Split Leaf Philodendron, Monstera deliciosa, and Monstera Peru.
It bears a striking resemblance to the Peru variety, especially the juvenile leaves.
However, Monstera Peru has darker leaves, and they don’t grow half as large as Monstera pinnatipartita, nor do they have extensive splits in their leaves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much light does Monstera pinnatipartita require?
A. It requires approximately 6-8 hours of bright indirect sunlight for optimal growth.
Q. Can I grow Monstera cuttings in water?
A. Monstera roots in the water quite quickly. This article has a whole section for propagating Monstera pinnatipartita stem cuttings in water.
Q. Is Monstera pinnatipartita rare?
A. Monstera pinnatipartita is an extremely rare species that became famous by trending on the social media platform Instagram.
It’s prized for its deeply lobed leaves, which have light green variegation and are uniquely fenestrated and pinnatifid (split to the midrib).
My name is Daniel Elrod, and I have been houseplant love ever since I was 17. I love how much joy they bring to any room in the home. I’ve always been amazed at how a few pots of flowing leaves can turn a drab and sterile office into an inviting place where people love to work at.
