| Monstera tenuis | |
|---|---|
| Monstera tenuis in Costa Rica, showing both the shingling juvenile leaves and mature, fenestrated foliage | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Araceae |
| Genus: | Monstera |
| Species: | M. tenuis |
| Binomial name | |
| Monstera tenuis | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Monstera tenuis (common name Chirravaca) is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae. It is native to Central America, from Nicaragua to Panama.[1][2] It grows in wet tropical habitats below 1,600 meters (5,200 ft).[3] Like many others in its genus, like Monstera dubia, the plant starts life on the forest floor and then as a root climber climbs tree trunks to a height of 30 metres[4] in a shingling fashion with leaves tightly appressed to the surface of the trunk. When it reaches a sufficient height, the leaf morphology dramatically changes to pinnate in nature, and it develops very long aerial roots.[5] The name of the species, which means "thin" in Latin, refers to the juvenile leaves.[3]
Media related to Monstera tenuis at Wikimedia Commons