Most plants sold as "monstera" are one of about a dozen names: Monstera deliciosa and its variegated forms ('Albo', 'Aurea', 'Thai Constellation', plus the disputed name "borsigiana"), or one of the smaller climbing species such as adansonii, obliqua, siltepecana, dubia, standleyana, pinnatipartita and the plant sold as 'Peru'. They differ mainly in leaf size, thickness, and how the leaf changes as the plant climbs. Mini monstera is not on that list because it is not a monstera — it is Rhaphidophora tetrasperma.
This guide covers how to tell them apart, how each one grows, what it needs, and how easy it is to find. It does not cover market prices. Collector prices move constantly and we do not have verified figures, so where a plant is rare we say so in words.
How do you tell monstera types apart?
Start with the fact that a monstera's leaf is not fixed. Almost every species in the genus is a climber, and most produce one kind of leaf as a young plant and a different kind once they have climbed. The Missouri Botanical Garden describes deliciosa's juvenile leaves as small and mostly uncut, and its mature leaves as very large and deeply cut. A young plant of one species can look more like a young plant of another than like its own adult form.
So identification works best on a few things together:
- Leaf thickness. Leathery and glossy, or thin and soft, or almost paper-like.
- What the openings look like. Splits running in from the edge, holes enclosed within the leaf, or none at all.
- Leaf shape and color. Heart-shaped, long and narrow, or silvery.
- How it grows. Leaves standing out on long stalks, or pressed flat against whatever it is climbing.
Variegated plants add a second layer: the name describes the color pattern, but the plant underneath is still a particular species, usually deliciosa or standleyana.
The 12 types at a glance
| Name | What it is | How to recognize it | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deliciosa | Species | Large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves with edge splits and inner holes once mature | Widely available |
| "Borsigiana" | Disputed name for a deliciosa form | Looks like deliciosa; sold as a smaller, more widely spaced grower | Common as a label |
| 'Albo' | White-variegated deliciosa | Blocks, streaks and sectors of white | Rare |
| 'Aurea' | Yellow-variegated form | Sectors and streaks of yellow to lime | Rare |
| 'Thai Constellation' | Deliciosa cultivar | Fine cream speckling and marbling across the whole leaf | Easier to find than it was; still a premium plant |
| Adansonii | Species | Smaller, thinner heart-shaped leaves with oval holes inside the leaf | Widely available |
| Obliqua | Species | Very thin leaves that are more hole than leaf | Very rare, often mislabeled |
| Siltepecana | Species | Narrow silvery juvenile leaves with dark veins | Specialist sellers |
| Dubia | Species | Small leaves pressed flat against a support, overlapping like shingles | Specialist sellers |
| Standleyana | Species | Long, pointed oval leaves; usually sold variegated | Uncommon; variegated forms easier to find |
| Pinnatipartita | Species | Corrugated oval juvenile leaves; mature leaves deeply slit | Uncommon |
| 'Peru' | Trade name, identity unresolved | Thick, stiff, glossy dark leaves with a textured surface and no holes | Fairly easy to find from specialist sellers |
The deliciosa group
1. Monstera deliciosa
The plant most people mean by "monstera." Native from Mexico to Panama, it climbs into trees in the wild; the Missouri Botanical Garden puts indoor plants more typically in the six-to-eight-foot range. Young leaves are small and mostly whole. Mature leaves are large, glossy, deep green, split from the edge and perforated near the midrib.
Care is the baseline for the genus: bright indirect light without strong direct sun, a chunky, well-drained mix, and water when the top inch or two has dried. Give it a pole or other support, or it tends to grow sideways. We sell Monstera deliciosa from $28.49.
2. "Borsigiana"
You will see "Monstera borsigiana" or "deliciosa var. borsigiana" on a lot of labels, usually describing a plant said to be smaller, faster, and with more stem between leaves than standard deliciosa. Botanically, the name is not recognized as separate: Kew's Plants of the World Online lists both Monstera borsigiana and M. deliciosa var. borsigiana as synonyms of Monstera deliciosa. Treat it as a description of how a particular line grows, not a different plant. Care is identical to deliciosa.
3. 'Albo' (white variegated)
Deliciosa with irregular white variegation in blocks, streaks and half-leaf sectors. The Missouri Botanical Garden notes that variegated deliciosa grows slower and smaller than the species. The variegation is not fixed: new leaves can come out mostly green or mostly white, and an all-white leaf cannot photosynthesize. These plants need more light than green deliciosa to support the white tissue, which NC State Extension also notes for variegated cultivars generally. Rare, and one of the most expensive monsteras.
4. 'Aurea' (yellow variegated)
The same idea as Albo, with yellow to lime variegation instead of white. The label is used on deliciosa and, according to the University of Missouri, on a golden-variegated form of standleyana, so check which plant you are actually looking at. Care is as for Albo: more light, a careful hand with water, and no guarantee the pattern holds on every new leaf. Rare.
5. 'Thai Constellation'
A deliciosa cultivar with fine cream speckling and marbling spread across the whole leaf rather than in large blocks. Costa Farms describes it as now produced in quantity through tissue culture, which is why it went from scarce to reasonably findable, and notes it grows a little slower than green deliciosa. Give it bright light and do not let it dry out hard, or the cream areas brown. We do not sell Thai Constellation online.
The smaller climbing species
6. Monstera adansonii
The "Swiss cheese vine." Heart-shaped leaves, much smaller and thinner than deliciosa, with oval holes inside the leaf blade rather than splits from the edge. Kew lists it as native across tropical America, with four recognized subspecies. NC State Extension describes it as a fast-growing climber, three to eight feet indoors, wanting bright indirect light, warmth and a support. It dries faster than deliciosa because it is usually grown in smaller pots. We sell Monstera adansonii from $33.49.
7. Monstera obliqua
The famous one. Native from Costa Rica into tropical South America, per Kew. Mature leaves are extremely thin with so much fenestration that there is more hole than leaf. The University of Missouri calls it one of the rarest monsteras and notes it is slow and wants very high humidity, which is why collectors often grow it in an enclosed cabinet. Many plants sold as obliqua are adansonii. If the leaf feels like ordinary leaf rather than tissue paper, be skeptical.
8. Monstera siltepecana
Native to southern Mexico and Central America. NC State Extension describes small, lance-shaped, silvery-green juvenile leaves with dark veins; once the plant climbs, adult leaves get larger, lose the silver, turn dark green and develop holes. Trailing plants tend to stay in the silver juvenile form, which is the form most people buy it for. Easy care, much like adansonii. Found mainly through specialist sellers.
9. Monstera dubia
Sold as a "shingle plant." Some monstera species start life with small, short-stalked leaves held tightly flat against a tree trunk, a juvenile stage the Missouri Botanical Garden's Thomas Croat uses to separate groups within the genus, and dubia is the one most often sold in that form. Each leaf overlaps the one above it like a roof shingle. Kew gives its range as Mexico to tropical South America and Trinidad. The adult form, with much larger leaves, needs real height to develop and is rarely seen indoors. Grow it on a flat plank, slab or wide pole it can grip, and keep humidity up so the aerial roots attach. Specialist sellers.
10. Monstera standleyana
Long, pointed, oval leaves without holes in the form usually sold, on a vining stem. Kew lists it as native from southeastern Nicaragua to northwestern Colombia. In the trade it is most often seen variegated: the University of Missouri describes 'Albo-Variegata' with white or light-green specks and streaks, sometimes sold as "cobra philodendron," and a yellow 'Aurea-Variegata'. Tolerant and easy to grow; the variegated forms want brighter light. Uncommon in green, easier to find variegated.
11. Monstera pinnatipartita
Native to Central and tropical South America, per Kew. The juvenile plant is a small vine with corrugated, dark-green oval leaves; Costa Farms notes it looks a lot like 'Peru' at this stage, which makes young plants easy to mix up. As it matures on a support, leaves get much larger and develop deep slits along both sides of the midrib. That change only happens with something to climb, so grow it up a pole or plank if you want to see it. Bright to medium light, and let the mix dry partway between waterings. Uncommon.
12. 'Peru'
A compact plant with thick, stiff, glossy dark-green leaves that have a raised, textured surface and, in cultivation, no holes. It is sometimes sold as "Monstera karstenianum," but that name does not appear as an accepted species in Kew's Plants of the World Online or in GBIF, so its exact identity is unresolved. The University of Missouri describes it as wanting more light than other monsteras and calls it a good choice for beginners. Fairly easy to find from specialist sellers.
Is mini monstera a monstera?
No. Mini monstera is Rhaphidophora tetrasperma, a different genus in the same aroid family, native to peninsular Thailand and peninsular Malaysia according to Kew. NC State Extension notes it is "not a monstera nor a philodendron" and got the name because it looks like a small deliciosa: deep green leaves that split early and on a much smaller scale. It is a fast climber, and its care is close to adansonii's.
Our mini monstera is sold out at the moment. If you want that small split-leaf look now, Monstera adansonii is the closest in-stock match in size and care.
Which one should you start with?
If you want the classic big split leaf, deliciosa. If you have less space or want a trailing or climbing vine, adansonii. Both are forgiving and both tell you clearly when something is wrong.
The rarer species are not much harder to keep alive, but several only show their best leaves once they climb, so plan for a support from the start. Our guide to using a moss pole covers how to set one up. Variegated plants are the real step up: slower, more light-hungry, and expensive to lose.
One thing they all share: every monstera contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals and should be kept away from pets that chew. Our monstera pet safety guide explains what happens and what to do.
Everything we carry in the genus is on the monstera hub. The wider family is in monsteras and aroids, and harder-to-find plants are in the collector and rare collection.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder: Monstera deliciosa
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder: Monstera deliciosa 'Variegata'
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Monstera deliciosa
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Monstera borsigiana (synonym)
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Monstera adansonii
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Monstera obliqua
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Monstera dubia
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Monstera standleyana
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Monstera pinnatipartita
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Rhaphidophora tetrasperma
- NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Monstera deliciosa
- NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Monstera adansonii
- NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Monstera siltepecana
- NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Rhaphidophora tetrasperma
- University of Missouri IPM: 2025, Year of the Monstera
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Swiss-Cheese Plant, Monstera deliciosa
- Costa Farms: Thai Constellation Monstera
- Costa Farms: Monstera pinnatipartita
- Thomas B. Croat, Missouri Botanical Garden: Revision of Monstera of Central America (presentation)