Botanical name: Monstera deliciosa      Family: Araceae (arum family)

Split-leaf philodendron is a popular foliage houseplant easily recognized by its large glossy leaves that are dissected with deep splits and perforated with oblong holes. In nature, windowleaf is an evergreen liana that climbs high into the rain forest canopy, attaching itself to trunks and branches and supporting itself above the ground with long tentacle-like aerial roots. The aerial roots grow downward out of the thick stem and take root where they touch the ground. The vines are only sparingly branched and a single vine can reach more than 70 ft in length. The word philodendron means lover of plants, indiciating that this plant is an avid tree climber. The leaves of a young windowleaf are heart shaped and without holes. They often overlap and cling closely to a tree trunk, and plants in that stage are called "shingle plants." Older plants develop the characteristic split and perforated adult leaves that stand away from the supporting tree trunk. The flowers, which are like huge arum lilies, appear on short thick stems during the summer if the humidity conditions are good. The central spadix develops into a cylindrical dark green fruit 8 to 10 inches long and 2 to 3 inches in diameter. The edible fruit ripens one year after blooming. It is important to wait until the fruit is ripe, that is that the green rind knocks off easily, to taste it. Before that the fruit contains enough oxalic acid to be painfully caustic.

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The flower labeled Split Leaf Philodendron is ...