Monsteras can make for a truly beautiful addition to your home. These evergreen vines are often called ‘Swiss Cheese plants’ for the holes which appear naturally in the leaves of most Monstera species and they also happen to be fairly easy to take care of!
While we are uncertain while those signature ‘holes’ or ‘fenestrations’ occur, it is believed that they help to ensure the capture of sufficient sunlight, as Monsteras tend to grow on trees where they only receive partial light at best. The lowered area of coverage from a fenestrated leaf does this quite nicely, while also meaning that there is less leaf to support!
Now that you know a little about Monsteras in the wild, let’s take a closer look at this species by examining 15 varieties that you can find and take home. Don’t worry, we’ll tell you a little bit about what you can expect from each one and how to properly care for them, and by the time we’re done you’ll know which one will be the best fit for your own home.
Our Favorite Types of Monstera Varieties
Here are 15 of our favorite types of Monstera varieties and some tips on how to keep them at home!
1. Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma – ‘Mini Monstera’
Our first Monstera is not technically a Monstera at all – it’s just got the look of one! The Mini Monstera looks much like it sounds, it’s a tiny plant with the same signature holes as true Monsteras, but this rare variety will generally only grow up to 5 inches indoors and about 14 inches in the wild. The holes in the deep, green leaves also are just a little bigger than you’d see on a proper Monstera.
These plants require well-draining soil and should do well in a mix of standard potting soil and perlite. As far as sunlight, they thrive best in medium or bright and indirect sunlight. Watering is actually quite minimal, with an average frequency of once a week in the warmer months and once every 2 weeks in the winter. You’ll also want to fertilize it with a water-soluble fertilizer every two months for best results!
2. Monstera Acacoyaguensis
Found natively in Brazil and Mexico as well, the Monstera Acacoyaguensis is a beautiful Monstera variety with deep green leaves which can become quite large as your plant gets older – up to 33 inches long and 18 inches wide! By contrast, the vines will grow to be about 13 feet in length, making this Monstera quite manageable.
For potting your plant, you’ll get the best results with a mix of equal parts sand, peat moss, and perlite and it will do best with bright, indirect sunlight. For your watering frequency you’ll need to be careful, as too much water can give them root rot. This means you’ll want to only this Monstera when the top inch of the soil is dry. Beyond this, simply fertilize it once a month in the spring and you should have a happy, healthy Monstera Acacoyaguensis that will make a great addition to your home.
3. Monstera acuminata – ‘Guatemala Monstera’
The Monstera acuminata is found in parts of Central America as well as Mexico and it is quite similar to the Monstera Adansonii, albeit slightly darker in green and with smaller, thinner leaves. Fully mature, the acuminata will be up to 7 feet tall and about 2 feet wide, making this plant a lovely showpiece for your living room or anywhere else you’d like to ‘tropic up’.
For this plants soil, you’ll get the best results if you house it in a mix of charcoal, peat, sand, and sphagnum moss and bright, but indirect sunlight is optimal. Watering should be done once a week during the warm months, just be sure to check that the top inch of soil is dry, and you can typically water once every 2 weeks in the winter.
4. Monstera Adansonii – ‘Swiss Cheese vine’
One of the most common varieties on Monstera, the ‘Swiss Cheese vine’ is a great hanging-basket plant as it tends to grow quite quickly. Indoors, you can expect it to grow anywhere from 3 to 8 feet long and 2 to 3 feet wide, and those signature holed-leaves are a lovely light green that you’ll definitely love.
For housing your plant, the ideal potting soil mix will be standard potting soil, along with orchid bark, perlite, peat, and charcoal and you’ll need to ensure that it gets at least 6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight. Watering should only be done when the top 3 inches of soil are dry, which usually comes to every 7 – 8 days in the warmer months and every 2 weeks in the winter.
5. Monstera borsigniana
Monstera borsigniana is actually a variation of the Monstera deliciosa and it’s not uncommon for these two varieties to be confused for each other when they are tiny. When fully grown, they are actually smaller than deliciosa and will max out at about 7 feet in height and the leaves are quite a bit different in that they are a dark green and form their ‘holes’ in neat, orderly rows.
Your ideal soil for this plant should be 3 parts regular potting soil to 2 parts perlite and you’ll want to have a stake in your soil on which it may cling and grow. Bright, indirect sunlight will be best and you’ll only want to water it when the top 2 inches of soil are dry (which will generally come to once a week).
6. Monstera deliciosa
The most popular ‘Swiss Cheese plant’, Monstera deliciosa is one of the most common of Monsteras and likely the one that everyone has seen the most. Famous for the lovely holes that pop-into those beautiful, dark green leaves, this plant also gets quite big with a mature indoor height of 10 to 15 feet and it can stretch out as much as 8 feet wide.
If you’re looking to grow your own, 3 parts regular potting soil and 2 parts perlite will give your Monstera a healthy home and you’ll want to give it lots of bright, indirect sunlight for best results. Watering should be done when the top 2 inches of soil are fully dry, which will likely come out to once a week.
7. Monstera Dubia
The Monstera Dubia is a nice choice if you’d like a climbing Monstera and it’s actually quite manageable once you’ve provided it a support to grow on. This Monstera will grow anywhere from 3 to 10 feet indoors and the leaves aren’t over the top, measuring in at about 5 inches in length. Said leaves are heart-shaped and a lovely almost-white with darker green veining patterns
As far as your soil base, this one is a little picky but you can make it happy with a mix of perlite, peat, orchid bark, and coco coir. Bright and indirect sunlight will be best for your Monstera Dubia and you’ll want to water it when the top 2 inches of soil are dry, which will usually be a frequency of every 8 to 10 days.
8. Monstera Esqueleto
Another Monstera with quite the distinctive look, the Costa Rican Monstera Esqueleto has long, light to medium green leaves that have notably longer perforations in them which expand quite a bit as they grow. When grown inside, those leaves can grow to be up to 2 feet long, while the plant itself should top-out at about 13 feet. The best part is that it looks quite unassuming until matures, at which point the transformation of the leaves is quite the treat.
The best soil combination for your Monstera Esqueleto will be a mix of pine bark, perlite, and coco coir and you’ll want to give it plenty of indirect sunlight for best results. Watering should be done about once a week, just check the topsoil to make sure that it is just a little damp as overwatering can lead to root rot very quickly.
9. Monstera Karstenianum ‘Monstera Peru’
If you want a Monstera that never actually develops the fenestrated leaves, then the Monstera Peru is a species that fits the bill. It has dark and light green leaves which are waxy and quite interestingly veined and textured. They’re also quite a bit smaller than most of the Monsteras, averaging maybe a little over a foot at full maturity when grown indoors and with leaves which are 2 to 4 inches long.
For your soil, a small amount of vermiculite mixed in with regular old potting soil will do the trick nicely and you’ll want to make sure that this plant gets bright, but indirect sunlight for best results. For watering, this plant gets ‘thirsty’ a little faster than most on this list, but still quite manageable. Just check the top 2 inches of soil and water when it’s dry, which for this plant that will usually amount to twice a week.
10. Monstera Obliqua
The rarest Monstera on the list, the Monstera Obliqua is a tiny variety that is quite rare and hard to find – but not impossible. You may have heard that this species has only been spotted 17 times in the wild, but that’s simply not true and may come from information from the 1977 ‘Madison’s review of Monstera’. It has, in fact, been collected many times but if you want one of your own you’ll need to find a nursery that grows verry specialized plants.
Grown indoors, this plant can reach up to 4 feet in length and has greenish-yellow leaves ranging from 4 to 10 inches in length.
The best soil for this rare Monstera will be a mix of perlite, orchid bark, and peat and you’ll want to give it bright and indirect sunlight. Watering frequency should be once or twice a week, just check the top 2 inches of soil to make sure they’ve dried out and your Obliqua should grow and thrive.
11. Monstera Pinnatipartita
The emerald-green Monstera Pinnapartita is a lovely Monstera that grows spaced ‘slits’ in the leaves, rather than the more common holes, and it’s a real treat when it happens as the plant matures and those leaves start showing you their true appearance! While these large-leaved Monsteras can climb as high as 66 feet in the wild, at home you should expect a fully mature size of 4 to 6 feet.
A mix of sandy potting soil along with some orchid bark and perlite should make for a happy Pinnatipartia and it prefers bright, indirect sunlight. For watering, check the top half of the soil to ensure that it has dried out and your frequency should be about once a week.
12. Monstera Standleyana
Monstera Standleyana is another variety on our list that never develops leaf fenestrations, but which is lovely nonetheless. What makes this plant attractive for Monstera enthusiasts are it’s leaves, which each have unique patterning cream of white speckling on top a deep green. As far as manageability, this plant tops out at about 5 feet tall while the leaves are generally 6 to 9 inches in length.
If you’d like to host one in your home, give it a soil that is half standard potting soil and half a mix of perlite and orchid bark and this should be perfect. The Standleyana should get at least 6 hours of indirect, bright sunlight and watering is a little more frequent than most, typically about 3 times a week. Just check the top 2 inches of the soil to make sure that it’s dried out so that you don’t overwater it.
13. Monstera Siltepecana – ‘Silver Monstera’
The Silver Monstera gets its name from it’s lovely leaves, which have a metallic silver gloss to them that really draw the attention. While this coloration will eventually fade as the fenestrations grow larger, it’s a beautiful transformation and we can guarantee that you won’t love it any less. As far as it’s size, the Silver Monstera can climb as high as 8 feet while the leaves are a bit more modest, with about a 5 inch length at full maturity.
For best results, give your Silver Monstera a mix of 3 parts regular potting soil and 1 part perlite and it should do quite well. Like most Monsteras, bright and indirect sunlight will keep your plant healthy and you’ll want to water it only when the top inch of the soil has completely dried out. This will likely come out to once every 7 to 8 days.
14. Monstera Subpinnata
Native to Bolivia and Columbia, the Monstera Subpinnata is quite the classy choice, with it’s fernlike, segmented leaves that look quite elegant as they grow in your home. These leaves reach an appreciable size of about 12 inches long and 8 inches wide at full maturity, while the plant itself can grow as high as 22 to 30 feet up a trellis if unchecked! This one is definitely a looker and happens to be quite easy to maintain as well, making it a popular choice for Monstera fans.
For your potting mix, 3 parts regular soil along with 1 part perlite is all that you need to keep your Subpinnata happy and healthy. It’s also good to fertilize it once per month during Spring and Summer if you really want to maximize its growth. Your watering frequency will likely come out to once a week, just check to ensure that the top 2 inches of the soil are dry and if so, then it’s time to water your plant!
15. Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’
Monstera Deliciosa ‘Thai Constellation’ is a highly coveted cultivar of Monstera Deliciosa. In fact, it is one of the most desired (and expensive) houseplants on the market.
It exhibits distinctive variegation patterns on its leaves, characterized by creamy-white patches contrasting against the deep green background. The variegation of the ‘Thai Constellation’ is unique to each leaf, which makes some specimens more valuable than others.
This particular variety has gained significant popularity lately among plant enthusiasts and collectors, not only because of its appearance, but also because of how difficult it is to propagate on a commercial level.
Which Monstera is Right for You?
We hope that you’ve enjoyed getting a closer look at these 15 lovely Monstera varieties out there. As you can see, most are not very complicated at all to take care of, and those amazing broad, fenestrated leaves are definitely something that you’re going to enjoy looking at every day. So, what are you waiting for?
We hope that you find your favorite and take it home, because these ‘Swiss Cheese’ plants are guaranteed to be well worth your while!
I have the Monstera delicious and the Monstera adansonii. Really enjoy them.
I have both as well!