Monstera varieties are undoubtedly the most easily recognizable, on-trend houseplants you must get your hands on!
Incredibly iconic and eye-catching, Monsteras do look quite exotic, but the most amazing part about them is that they are so easy to take care of, and thus, even beginners can handle them well. The standout feature of Monsteras is their lush, tropical-looking foliage with unique “holes” or “fenestrations” that start developing more prominently as the plant grows up. So, if all of these excite you, bring home these fantastic Monstera varieties!
Monstera Varieties
1. Monstera Deliciosa
Botanical Name: Monstera deliciosa
Want to make your home more Instagram-worthy? Well, you can’t go wrong with the Monstera deliciosa! One of the most well-known varieties, this Monstera features huge leaves growing up to 3 feet long with amazing fenestrations.
Thanks to their aerial roots and upward vining habit, you can easily grow them indoors against a pole or trellis or even train them up a wall!
2. Monstera Lechleriana
Botanical Name: Monstera lechleriana
Besides being one of the fastest-growing Monsteras, the Lechleriana is also one of the hardiest ones. Though it has large foliage, the fenestrations are small and mostly develop around the midrib. In case, you decide to bring it in your home, ensure oit enough support and a spacious spot to spread.
3. Monstera Acuminata
Botanical Name: Monstera acuminata
This Monstera is quite rare, so if you happen to find one, it’s a fantastic pick for smaller apartments with limited space. You can even show it off in hanging baskets, allowing its leaves to cascade beautifully down for a stunning display!
4. Mini Monstera
Botanical Name: Rhaphidophora tetrasperma
You can probably gauge from the botanical name itself that this plant is not actually a Monstera. However, it’s often considered an honorary member of the Monstera family. Its common name, easy care needs, and the unique look of its fenestrated leaves might even make you think it’s a true Monstera at first glance.
5. Swiss Cheese Plant
Botanical Name: Monstera adansonii
Also nicknamed the monkey mask plant, this variety is second only to the Monstera deliciosa in popularity and availability. Despite being a smaller type, it can grow up to 8 feet tall indoors, showcasing its quick growth and climbing tendencies.
As it matures, it develops large fenestrations, and looks its best with a bit of occasional trimming.
6. Monstera Peru
Botanical Name: Monstera karstenianum
Back to one of the rarer and smaller ones, the Monstera Peru is an amazing indoor variety. Despite its quick growth, it remains manageable due to its compact size once mature. While it lacks the characteristic “holes” of some other Monsteras, it compensates with thick, glossy, dark-green leaves with deep ridges, making it an attractive addition to any room.
7. Monstera Dubia
Botanical Name: Monstera dubia
A lesser-known, more specialized Monstera vine, the Dubia variety is a variegated one with small, heart-shaped leaves that shingle on any surface they are supported on. This climbing habit, where the leaves press tightly against the support, gives the plant a uniform appearance, like shingles in neat rows.
For the most eye-catching variegation, you should grow the Dubia under bright, indirect light.
8. Variegated Monstera Deliciosa
Botanical Name: Monstera deliciosa ‘variegata’
While the deliciosa is an easily grown and popular species, even well-suited for beginners, the Variegated Monstera vine is quite rare and expensive. That is because its variegations, caused by genetic mutations, are quite unpredictable and, thus, hard to come by.
Though they are quite difficult to propagate and grow slowly, any Monstera enthusiast would jump at the sight of this variety!
9. Monstera Peru (Variegated)
Botanical Name: Monstera kartesianum ‘Variegated’
If you’re tight on space but still want a stunning Monstera, consider the compact and variegated Monstera Peru. While it doesn’t develop the typical holes or fenestrations even as it matures, its thick leaves display unique and beautiful patterns that can effortlessly elevate the look of your space.
10. Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’
Botanical Name: Monstera deliciosa ‘Thai Constellation’
A rare and highly sought-after cultivar of the Monstera delicosa, this lab-cultured variety is stunning, to say the least. Not only does this variety showcase the classic fenestrated foliage, but it also features some unique variegations in the form of splotchy, creamy-white, and yellow patches all over its leaves.
11. Monstera Obliqua
Botanical Name: Monstera obliqua
In rarity among Monstera vines, the ‘Obliqua’ would arguably get the top spot. Often called the unicorn plant, this variety features one of the most extreme fenestrations shown by Monstera varieties, taking up almost 90 percent of the leaf’s surface. This, in turn, makes the leaves extremely delicate and gives them a wafer-thin structure.
Difficult to find in the wild, even the most ardent Monstera lovers would not get it for less than a small fortune.
12. Monstera Standleyana
Botanical Name: Monstera standleyana
The irony of this Monstera variety is that though it is nicknamed the ‘5 holes plant’, it won’t develop “holes” or fenestrations when grown indoors. However, don’t judge this plant too fast!
This rare, compact Monstera always catches the eye with its beautiful speckles and splotches of cream, white, and yellow against glossy green, which is not only distinctive but also unpredictable.
13. Monstera Pinnatipartita
Botanical Name: Monstera pinnatipartita
It’s a real chore to find this Monstera vine online! This goes to say that this Monstera species is quite rare and unique, and you will soon learn why. Rather than fenestrations on the mature foliage, this Monstera plant gets its name from the pinnate, feathery leaves, which become quite large and glossy as the plant matures.
14. Monstera ‘Esqueleto’
Botanical Name: Monstera epipremnoides ‘Esqueleto’
Often mistaken for the ‘Obliqua,’ these beauties get quite large in the wild—their stems grow up to 2-3 cm thick and up to 50 cm long! Though they do not grow so massive when grown indoors, they do show much bigger leaves than most other Monstera varieties with way more fenestrations—larger holes nearer to the midrib and smaller towards the margins.
15. Silver Monstera
Botanical Name: Monstera siltepecana
Though rare, the Silver Monstera vine is still more readily available than the other rarer varieties on this list. As you can probably gauge from the name itself, this Monstera is all about that unusual silvery-blue gray lance-shaped foliage, complete with green veins, when the plant is young.
As it matures, the leaves turn dark and glossy green with gorgeous fenestrations and, of course, a climbing growth habit.
16. Monstera Deliciosa Albo Borsigiana Variegata
Botanical Name: Monstera deliciosa ‘Albo Variegata’
When we are talking about Monstera varieties, we surely cannot forget about the Albo! Part of the ‘Deliciosa’ species, this compact and highly sought-after plant is also quite pricey. What really sets the ‘Albo’ apart is its foliage, which features a unique mix of splotchy white patterns against a rich, deep green backdrop.
17. Monstera Borsigiana
Botanical Name: Monstera deliciosa ‘Borsigiana’
A close relative of the famed Monstera deliciosa, the ‘Borsigiana’ variant has a slightly smaller stature but doesn’t skimp on beauty. Its leaves are lush green with those typical fenestrations that develop as they mature, adding an open, airy look to the foliage.
18. Monstera Siltepecana ‘El Salvador’
Botanical Name: Monstera siltepecana ‘El Salvador’
The ‘El Salvador’ stands out with its elongated, silvery-green leaves that catch the light beautifully. While younger leaves start solid, mature foliage develops subtle fenestrations that look beautiful against that silver-green backdrop.
19. Monstera Friedrichsthalii
Botanical Name: Monstera adansonii var. friedrichsthalii
Yet another delightful Monstera variety, this vining aroid showcases fenestrations that resemble conspicuous round windows. Not only can you grow it as a houseplant, but it also does quite well in terrariums and even in low-light conditions.
20. Monstera Spruceana
Botanical Name: Monstera spruceana
Native to the tropical regions of Central America, this variety showcases juvenile leaves that start out as small and ovate. As the plant grows, the established leaves become highly fenestrated, so much so that they divide into different leaves that can even grow to several feet in length.
21. Monstera Aurea
Botanical Name: Monstera deliciosa ‘Aurea’
Highly sought-after by plant enthusiasts and also known as the split-leaf philodendron, this Monstera deliciosa cultivar showcases foliage with amazing marbled, streaked, and speckled leaves with colors like light and dark green shades.
22. Monstera Subpinnata
Botanical Name: Monstera subpinnata
Beautiful, vogue, and rare—these words define this Monstera variety. It stands out for its unique leaves that do not have those typical fenestrations but look like palm fronds that will surely add a tropical, jungle-like feel to your home.
23. Monstera Adansonii ‘Archipelago’
Botanical Name: Monstera adansonii ‘Archipelago’
A cultivar of the Monstera variety, the standout feature of the ‘Archipelago’ is its highly variegated leaves displaying a stunning mix of green and creamy white splotches, thus creating a unique contrast. Besides that, its elongated leaves also showcase the usual fenestrations, canon to Monsteras.
24. Monstera Dissecta
Botanical Name: Monstera dissecta
One of the most attractive Monsteras, this variety showcases glossy juvenile leaves that split and then develop fenestrations as the plant matures. Known also for its excellent air-purifying qualities, this species grows natively in Central and South America in the tropical regions.
