Monstera is a unique genus of tropical rainforest plant endemic to America, with over 40 species.
They are well known for their striking hues and unique leaf designs—some of which have holes in them.
Despite being tropical plants, some monstera varieties can be kept as houseplants and make pleasant home decor.
So, do monsteras flower? Yes, they do. While it’s rare to see indoor monsteras flower, they are most likely to bloom in the wild.
Interestingly, there are several ways to help your indoor monsteras produce flowers. That’s why you don’t have to explore the wild to find yourself one. Read on to learn more.
What Do Monstera Flowers Look Like?
Monsteras are already attractive with their beautiful and vibrant foliage, but wait until you see their flowers bloom.
Before anything else, here’s a fun fact:
Did you know that monstera flowers aren’t exactly called flowers but are referred to as ‘inflorescence’?
This means that the monstera’s flowers are the tiny ones seen on its spadix.
To continue, the inflorescence of the monstera starts as a closed, greenish bud. The bud will eventually open up to reveal the spadix.
The spadix is the erect, elongated (hotdog-like) structure at the center of your monstera’s inflorescence.
Later on, the spadix develops into a fruit. Subsequently, the fruit takes up to one year to ripen. The fruit is edible once ripe. However, unripe ones are toxic due to high oxalate concentrations.
On the other hand, the distinct boat-like bract or petal surrounding the spadix is called the spathe.
Altogether, these two structures make up the monstera’s inflorescence, commonly referred to as its flower.
Color of Monstera Flowers
While the characteristics of monstera leaves (colors, foliage, patterns, and holes) vary per species, their inflorescence all have the same appearance.
When it comes to the small blooms on your monstera’s spadix, their color ranges from greenish yellow and pale yellow to white. On the other hand, the spathe is predominantly white with a cream tinge.
Another interesting fact about the monstera’s spathe is that it tends to open up at night.
The opened spathe entices pollinators like trigona bees, common pollinators for the Monstera deliciosa species.
How Big Do Monstera Flowers Get?
A monstera’s inflorescence may reach up to 10 inches in length, with the spadix growing up to six inches. They’re several inches shorter than their heart-shaped leaves, which can grow up to 35 inches.
What Does a Monstera Flower Smell Like?
Monstera flowers have a mild, fruity scent in them that sometimes resembles that of a pineapple.
The inflorescence may emit a stronger scent in the evening when the plant opens up its petals to attract pollinators.
When Do Monsteras Flower?
There isn’t a particular time or season for monsteras to bear flowers. Although, monsteras start to produce flowers once they reach maturity.
Most monstera species may start maturing at 1-3 years in their natural habitat. The slow growers (like the Monstera Iechleriana), on the other hand, may take up to 8 years to fully mature.
On average, monsteras (including indoor ones) take 2-3 years to mature. Note that the maturity of monsteras is significantly affected by several factors.
Sunlight, soil quality, a place to climb, and the water they receive—all influence the monstera’s maturity.
How to Tell if Your Monsteras Are Ready to Flower (Based on Their Leaves)
During the juvenile stage, a monstera plant’s leaves have no holes or divisions.
Eventually, monstera species show significant pattern changes (fenestrations, holes, or splits) in their leaves as they reach the mature or adult stage—except for variants like Standleyana and Peru.
The Standleyana variant, which includes the Albo and Aurea, doesn’t develop splits or any holes on their leaves as they mature.
On the other hand, the Peru variant, or Monstera karstenianum, doesn’t show any changes in its leaf patterns nor develop splits as it grows.
Therefore, its juvenile and mature leaves look the same (except that the leaves may increase in size as it matures).
Here are the different ways to tell if your monsteras have reached maturity based on the pattern on their leaves (according to species):
Monstera Species With Divided or Split Leaves
These monsteras exhibit split patterns on their leaves, indicating they’re mature and ready to bear flowers.
The Monstera dissecta, spruceana, and subpinnata are some of their examples.
Monstera Species That Show Holes With No Splits
There are monstera varieties that grow fenestrated leaves only as they start to mature:
- Monstera siltepecana
- Acacoyaguensis variant
- Adansonii
- Monstera lechleriana
- Obliqua variant
- Acuminata
Monstera Species That Exhibit Both Holes and Splits
Monstera species that are known to grow leaves with both fenestrations or holes and splits in them are the following:
- Monstera dubia
- Pinnatipartita variant
- Deliciosa
- Epipremnoides
How to Make a Monstera Flower?
It’s pretty challenging to make indoor monsteras flower. Compared to the wild, where monsteras are free to thrive and healthy living conditions are met, extra effort is needed when growing monsteras indoors.
It’s essential to build a space that imitates the living conditions in the tropics to make monsteras bloom.
1 – Enough Space To Grow
Your monsteras can grow up to 4 feet high as they mature and are ready to flower.
Planting them in large pots and keeping them in a greenhouse or space where they can grow freely is helpful.
2 – Filtered Light
Monsteras require a decent amount of sunlight and humidity; however, direct sunlight isn’t advisable.
Instead, place your monstera plant near the window (with blinds or curtains) or where it can get adequate amounts of filtered sunlight.
Since your monsteras aren’t built for cold winter months, it’s fine to expose them to direct sunlight during this season.
To increase humidity during the dry season, you may use a humidifier.
3 – Good Soil
Plant your monsteras in well-draining and nutrient-rich soil. A good aroid mix is preferred for these plants.
Essentially, the soil should maintain a pH of 5.5-6.5.
4 – Moss Support or Moss Pole
The moss support helps keep vining monstera hydrated and allows them to grow outward. As a result, monsteras grow larger and more sturdy leaves.
5 – Water Them Properly
When watering your monstera, please wait for the soil to dry out (ideally when the upper half of the soil dries up) before soaking them up again.
You should water your plant at least once a week or once every two weeks during the winter season.
Final Thoughts
Monstera plants come in various leaf sizes, patterns, fenestrations, and splits. Despite that, they all produce the same creamy white-colored inflorescence.
As they mature, monsteras will begin to change foliage and produce flowers. To help your monstera bloom, you’ll need to imitate their living conditions in the tropics.
To do so, give your monstera filtered sunlight, plant them in the well-draining aroid soil mix with a slightly acidic pH, use moss support, and more.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.