What is Monstera?
{{Taxobox | name = ''Monstera'' | image = Monstera deliciosa2.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = ''[[Monstera deliciosa]]'' | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant]] | classis = [[Monocot]]s | ordo = [[Alismatales]] | familia = [[Araceae]] | subfamilia = [[Monsteroideae]] | genus = '''''Monstera''''' [[Michel Adanson|Adans.]] }} '''Monstera''' is a [[genus]] of [[flowering plant]]s. There are about 60 [[species]] in the genus. The genus belongs to the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Araceae]]. Originally, the plants occur in the [[tropical]] regions of [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]]. The plants are [[herb]]s or [[evergreen]] [[vine]]s. They climb other trees. They can grow to a height of about 20m. The plants also have [[aerial root]]s. These can act as [[hook]]s on branches of the tree that the plant is climbing. They grow down into the ground to support the plant. The leaves are leather, dark green, and often have holes in them. The flowers grow on a special [[inflorescence]] called a [[spadix]]. Some species have edible [[fruit]]. Many people grow some of these species (esp. ''Monstera deliciosa'') indoors as a [[houseplant]]. ''Monstera deliciosa'' is sometimes also grown for its fruit, which tastes somewhere between a [[banana]] and a [[pineapple]]. In some parts of the world (other than Tropical America), some plants started to grow in the wild. This is the case for example in [[Portugal]], on [[Madeira]], [[Morocco]], some parts of [[India]] and [[Malaysia]] as well as in [[Florida]]. ==Other websites== {{Commons|Monstera deliciosa}} * [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?24556 Entry at ''GRIN Taxonomy for Plants''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508051647/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?24556 |date=2009-05-08 }} *[http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/scripts/asp/IAPT/ncugentry.asp?name=Monstera Classification from the International Association for Plant Taxonomy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/2007031