Monstera deliciosa - Split-leaf-Philodendron

What lovely shape foliage looks healthy with its shiney leaves. How tall do these grow also how large is the friut its nice to have edible fruit from it.

LOL... in days past... my Mom's fave houseplant! Her's never got very big though. Never knew they produced fruit, let alone pineapple flavoured! Amazing.

Thrupennybit:

It can grow way up into trees, it's a vine. Most likely 20 or 30 ft., at least. It can grow as a ground cover, also. It covers a huge area.

I have some pics of this vine covering at least a few acres under trees trees at the San Diego Zoo.

Lori:

Yes, outside in the ground it grows HUGE!!! lol! :>))

You can see the green cylindrical fruit which is located between the leaves (it turns yellowish when ripe, the ants usually get them). There's several on this plants in different sections of the back yard. It has snaked its way to different areas. One section is growing up the back fence.

Ahrr so it s a vine thank you for that Andy .

You have the variety with MANY nice perforations. Some have more then others.
Mine dont seem to want to climb my Podocarpus tree..although they took the wooden fence. Then the cats used that vine as a freeway to climb...it died of thousands of claw cuts.
I have plenty roaming on the ground- I see some fruit on them too.
This is so underused in the bay area. Botanical gardens dont use them.Commercial buildings dont plants them. I love them.

Thrupennybit:

Yes, it's a very large vine. :>))

This Monstera is a good-fruiting variety. My friend in Hayward gave this plant in the late 80's sometime. Everywhere I've moved I've taken a piece of it.

Yes, I'm not sure why it's not used more in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's very hardy there.

:o))

Interesting that cats would use them as ladders, Stan.
...one thing I remember about my mom's philodendrons is that she said they were poisonous to pets. I don't know if it was exposure to their sap or if the animal had to chew or consume the leaves... but I do remember she said to keep them out of the cat's reach! No danger of that really as they never reached SoCal size!
It's also interesting how some plants seem to be in vogue for a while and then are forgotten...only to be re-discovered! Maybe the Monstera will return!

I always had a Dog( I loved that dog- but he once dug up a very rare Fern!),now I have cats..all that in my 20x30' back yard,Lori. I have to get creative or just give up on certain things. GOPHERS-! Now,THEY have made me grow things in pots that would do better in ground. Better good in a pot then none at all. wink.

We sometimes see these in pots here in the UK, they are quite nice to look at but I had no idea they could become a "Monstera" (Monster) Lol! :D))

Balcony:

Yes, this plant can take up a huge area. This is only one section of this plant. You can see in this pic a few leaves from the section crawling up the fence and to the left there's another section (which isn't in the photo).

Stan: oh the rodents! gophers and moles make Swiss cheese out of my lower lawn/garden (near the stream) ...at least they keep the soil turned over!
It's too bad about your fern though... I always laugh at the idea that a plant (rooted and stationary) can be "deer resistant"... too bad they couldn't get up and move when the deer start eating or the dogs and cats start digging! ;-)