He’s not very demanding. Check him weekly and if the top two inches of his soil feel dry, give him a drink.
He’ll be fine in anything from light shade to bright, indirect light. He grows faster in good light.
Keep his leaves moist and he’ll be a happy boy. Put him in a bright bathroom or mist him every few days.
Botanical name
Monstera adansonii
Nickname
Monkey face plant; Monkey plant; Mini Swiss cheese plant
Air purifying
Yes
Plant height (including pot)
10-20cm, 20-30cm; 100-110cm
Pet/Baby safe
Mildly toxic if ingested
Nursery pot size
6cm, 15cm; 20cm
Wallace is the perhaps the spookiest member of the monstera gang, with his skeletal leaves, but despite his quirky looks he is easy to care for.
Monstera adansonii is often confused with monstera obliqua. In fact, you’ll quite often see adanosonii advertised as obliqua. They’re not quite the same and if you see a monstera obliqua selling at a reasonable price, it’s all but certain it’s really an adansonii.
Monstera obliqua is incredibly rare, even in the wild, and would cost thousands to acquire. Its leaves are paper thin and skeletal, with more hole than leaf. Adansonii has slightly thicker, sturdier leaves. But don’t think of it as inferior to obliqua. It gives you all the pleasure of a monstera obliqua without the price tag or the need to find a shady black market dealer.
Monstera adansonii is a relative of the larger Swiss Cheese plant, or Chaz. It has the same irregular leaves. In the jungles of Central and South America, it lives in the shade of other trees. All those holes let light shine through to its lower leaves. As a house plant, all those holes just make it look really cool.
It's very easy to look after. Give it a medium level of light and moderate watering. In spring and summer, it will appreciate a monthly feed with liquid fertiliser.
Did you know?
Its common name comes from its apparent resemblance to a monkey’s face. We’re not sure the person who named it had ever seen a monkey.
For more care advice about Wallace, check out our complete guide to Swiss cheese plant care.
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