Monstera Adans., Fam. Pl.

Croat, Thomas B., Cedeño-Fonseca, Marco & Ortiz, Orlando O., 2024, Revision of Monstera (Araceae: Monsteroideae) of Central America, Phytotaxa 656 (1), pp. 1-197 : 8-9

Monstera Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 470. 1763. Nom. et typ. cons. (see Nicolson 1968, McVaugh 1969).

Type: — Monstera adansonii Schott [based on Dracontium pertusum Linnaeus (1753: 968) ; non Monstera pertusa ( Roxburgh 1820: 455) Schott (1830: 1028) ( Pothos pertusus Roxburgh (1820: 455)) , i.e. Rhaphidophora pertusa ( Roxburgh 1820: 455) Schott (1860: 382) ].

Tornelia [Gutiérrez ex Schldl., Linnaea 26: 382. 1854 (‘1853’), in synon.]; Gutiérrez ex Schott, Gen. Aroid. 74. 1858. TYPE:— Tornelia fragrans Gutiérrez ex Schott (1858: 74) (= Monstera deliciosa Liebm. ).

Serangium Wood ex Salisbury (1866) , Gen. Pl.: 5. 1866. TYPE:— Dracontium pertusum L. (≡ Monstera adansonii Schott ).

Slender to massive nomadic vines, appressed-climbing or climbing with pendent stems; growth sympodial in the adult reproductive phase. SEEDLINGS skototropic, terrestrial; shoots with foliage leaves or filiform and aphyllous. JUVENILE PLANTS: stems cylindrical or dorsoventrally compressed, ascending with adventitious roots; leaves exerted or appressed to the substrate; petiole distinct or obscure; blade elliptic, ovate, lanceolate or oblanceolate, sometimes fenestrate, sometimes variegated grayish-green around or between the veins, oblique, attenuate, cordate, subcordate or obtuse at base, obtuse or acuminate at apex, margins entire or pinnatilobed. ADULTS: stems cylindrical or dorsoventrally compressed, sometimes sulcate; roots dimorphic, positively geotropic, growing to penetrate substrate, appressed to substrate or pendent, occasionally with peridermal tissue; anchor roots along stem or only at nodes; feeder roots one per node on opposite side to petiole; prophylls deciduous, marcescent entire or becoming fibrous, 2-ribbed; cataphylls deciduous or marcescent, becoming fibrous, sometimes with a reduced blade at apex. LEAVES distichous; petiole basally alate and usually geniculate at apex; blades narrowly lanceolate to ovate-cordate, obtuse or long-acuminate at apex, sometimes decurrent along geniculum, entire or conspicuously fenestrate, margins entire, pinnatilobed or pinnatifid by intramarginal dissection, venation pinnate, primary lateral veins simple, bifurcated or trifurcated. INFLORESCENCE terminal, solitary or arranged in groups of up to 13 spadices, developed in ascending (adherent) stems, on pendent stems or in both types; peduncle straight or recurved; spathe equal to or longer than spadix, sometimes pruinose, without a proximal tube, tearing longitudinally at anthesis in some species, deciduous or marcescent after anthesis; stipe short (up to 2.5 cm long); spadix sub-cylindrical, with densely grouped flowers in spirals, white during development and cream at anthesis, with a region of sterile flowers at base sometimes decurrent on peduncle; flowers hermaphrodite, achlamydeous, protogynous; androecium of 4 free stamens; filaments laminar; anthers oblong-ellipsoid, thecae with lateral dehiscence; gynoecium with a prismatic ovary, bilocular, with 2 ovules per locule, placentation axile; style cylindrical or tetragonal, usually wider than long, the upper surface quadrangular, trapezoidal, pentagonal or hexagonal; stigma linear or circular, elevated by a cupuliform, columnar or conical stigmaphore. INFRUCTESCENCE with berries grouped in a syncarp (“monsterocarp”); berries with the stylar cap deciduous at maturity, 1–4 seeded; seeds obovate to ellipsoid, smooth, embryo large, endosperm absent; chromosome number 2n = 60 (24, 48, 56, 58, 70).

With 64 species in the Neotropics and 52 species in Central America ( Mexico to Panama).