From the
Tropical Fruit News, Rare Fruit Council International Miami RFCI
by Gene Joyner
The Monster in
Your Garden
The delicious monster, Monstera deliciosa,
is sometimes called ceriman, and is a popular fruit grown throughout
the warm regions of the world. Monstera is a vigorous climbing vine in
the Aroid family and native to Central America, primarily Mexico. It
has thick stems and large, heart-shaped leaves which can be 3 feet long
or more and over 2 feet wide. The leaves are deeply lobed and
perforated with large holes near the center. These holes appear only as
the leaf matures and when Monstera is grown indoors the leaf
characteristics can be very different form an outside plant.
Flowers
appear on short thick stems several times a year, especially during the
summer. They are typically aroid blooms that resemble huge arum lilies.
The central spadix is 8 to 10 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide, and
it is this that develops into the dark green cylindrical fruit which
looks somewhat like an unshucked ear of corn. The fruit is long in
developing and may take 12 to 14 months to ripen.
The fruit is an aggregate, much like pineapple or sugar apple (Annona squamosa),
and the outer green covering is arranged in hexagonal plates which turn
yellow and separate as the fruit ripens. The separation on ripening
exposes the soft, white edible pulp underneath. The flavor of the pulp
resembles a mixture of banana and pineapple. Only small sections of the
fruit will ripen each day, but if you want a more even ripening,
refrigerate the fruit for 24 hours then allow it to come to room
temperature.
Eaten fresh, the fruit is delicious, and it is also a fine ingredient
in salads and ice cream.
Some Monstera
fruits contain high levels of calcium oxalate crystals that are
extremely irritating to the throat. Only
ripe fruit should be eaten and it will also help to rinse
off the fruit for easier eating.
Monstera
can be propagated by seed or cuttings. Cuttings will produce fruit more
quickly and are more desirable in the landscape than seedlings. The
vines grow rapidly under good cultivation and should be located in
areas with medium to high levels of sunlight. The should be fertilized
with a complete fertilizer.
When grown outdoors, monsteras are
often allowed to grow on trees, walls or other structures that can
support their weight. They can scramble on the ground but prefer to
climb.
Plants need to be protected from severely cold weather and will be
badly injured if temperatures drop below 28° F.
When
grown as house plants cerimans can be mounted on tree fern plaques, or
cypress boards. Few of these plants when grown indoors will receive
high enough levels of light to produce fruit.
Monsteras have few pest problems and rarely, if ever, need to be
sprayed.
There are no named varieties of Monstera
in the nursery trade. Individual plants may have larger fruit or fruit
with fewer seed. These plants should be propagated and increased by
vegetative propagation, so that these desirable characteristics will
not be lost. There are several monsteras with variegated foliage. One
has white/green variegation while another has yellow/cream marbling.
Both produce variegated fruit with creamy yellow or white swirls. They
are very attractive novelty plants that are quite hard to fine. The
fruit is as good as the green forms.
Monstera
won't tolerate poorly drained soil, and it is important to have
excellent drainage,especially during the rainy season. Cerimans don't
tolerate excessive salt spray, so keep these delicious monsters well
away for exposure along the waterfront.
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Monstera Page
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