Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana

Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana is a recognised, more compact botanical variety of the standard Monstera deliciosa. Somewhat confusingly for buyers, it is actually the form most commonly sold in general houseplant retail under the plain 'Monstera deliciosa' name. Compared to the true type species, borsigiana has thinner, more delicate leaves, shorter internodes, and a smoother, non-ridged petiole, and it reaches fenestration and climbing maturity noticeably faster and at a smaller overall size. The split-leaf silhouette and easy care associated with Monstera deliciosa are fully present here, in a quicker-growing, more compact package.

Native range

Central America, same range as the type species Monstera deliciosa

Classification

Genus

Monstera

Family

Araceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Climbing hemiepiphyte

Morphology

Leaf shape

Broadly cordateHeart-shaped foliage, featuring a rounded notch (sinus) where the leaf stem attaches., fenestrated and lobed at maturity

Leaf length

30-60 cm

Leaf width

25-50 cm

Petiole colour

Green, smooth (non-ridged, unlike the true type species)

Venation

PinnateVeins or lobes arranged like a feather, branching out symmetrically on both sides of a single main central vein.

Texture

Glossy, thinner than the type species

Variegation

N/A

Growth habit

Climbing hemiepiphyteA plant that starts growing in soil but later ascends trees as a climber, supporting itself with aerial roots., shorter internodes than the type species