If you’ve spent any time in the houseplant community, you’ve almost certainly come across the name Monstera obliqua. It gets thrown around constantly — in plant shops, on Instagram, on eBay listings, and in comment sections everywhere. And chances are, the plant being called “obliqua” in most of those places… isn’t actually obliqua at all.
The confusion between Monstera adansonii and Monstera obliqua is one of the most widespread and persistent cases of plant misidentification in the entire houseplant world. And it matters — not just for the sake of accuracy, but because Monstera obliqua is one of the rarest plants on the planet. Understanding the real differences between these two species is the first step toward appreciating both of them for what they truly are.
In this guide, we’re going to set the record straight — completely and clearly. We’ll cover the different forms of Monstera adansonii, the extraordinary rarity and history of Monstera obliqua, the definitive differences between the two species, the infamous “90% hole” myth, and why nearly every plant being sold as obliqua online almost certainly isn’t. Let’s get into it.
Monstera Adansonii vs. Monstera Obliqua: Quick Comparison
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Feature
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Monstera Adansonii
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Monstera Obliqua
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| Common name | Swiss cheese vine | No widely used common name |
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Availability
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Widely available in nurseries worldwide
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Virtually unavailable — passed only between rare collectors
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| Price | Affordable — a few dollars to tens of dollars | Hundreds to thousands of dollars (if you can find it) |
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Leaf texture
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Normal leaf thickness — feels like a standard leaf
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Razor-thin — almost paper-thin; you can see through it
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| Holes/perforations | Elongated, slit-like holes | Rounder holes; more holes in proportion to the leaf |
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Stolons (runners)
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None
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Produces distinctive leafless runners from the stem
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| Growth habit | Vining; grows like a typical Monstera | Extremely slow; will only climb in near-perfect tropical conditions |
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Forms
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Multiple (regular, narrow, round)
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Multiple — including forms without any holes at all
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| 90% hole myth | Does not apply | Only applies to the Peruvian form in ideal wild conditions |
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Documented wild collections
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Common
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Only 17 documented collections in all of botanical history
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1. Monstera Adansonii: What It Is and Its Many Forms
Let’s start with Monstera adansonii — the plant that most people are actually working with when they think they have obliqua. It’s a beautiful, popular, widely available vining Monstera with characteristic holes along its leaves (fenestrations), and it’s been a favourite houseplant for years. There’s genuinely nothing disappointing about owning one — it’s a wonderful plant in its own right.
A Note on the Name: Adansonii and Friedrichsthalii Are the Same Plant
Before going further, let’s clear up one common point of confusion right away: Monstera adansonii and Monstera friedrichsthalii are the same plant. Friedrichsthalii is simply a synonym for adansonii. It’s sometimes used to describe younger or more juvenile forms of the plant, but there is no meaningful botanical distinction between the two names. If you’ve been trying to figure out the difference between adansonii and friedrichsthalii, there isn’t one. They are the same species.
The Three Main Forms of Monstera Adansonii
Here’s something that surprises a lot of people: Monstera adansonii doesn’t come in just one form. There are multiple forms, and this variety is actually a major source of the confusion with obliqua. Three of the most commonly encountered forms are:
Regular Form
This is the most common adansonii found in garden centres and plant shops around the world. It’s a straightforward vining plant with large, oval leaves featuring elongated, slit-like holes. Nothing especially exotic-looking — but a genuinely lovely, easy-care plant. This is what most people have when they say “I have an adansonii.”
Narrow Form
This is where confusion really starts to set in. The narrow form of Monstera adansonii has noticeably thinner, more elongated leaves than the regular form, and a more exotic, unusual appearance. Many people who own the narrow form genuinely believe they have an obliqua — and many sellers have deliberately (or mistakenly) labelled it as such. It is not obliqua. It is Monstera adansonii narrow form, and while it’s a more interesting-looking plant than the regular form, it is not rare or particularly expensive when correctly identified.
Round Form
The round form of adansonii produces noticeably rounder, larger leaves compared to the other forms. It grows bigger overall and has a slightly different visual character to the regular form. Like the narrow form, it is sometimes misidentified or deliberately mislabelled as obliqua, especially when the leaves are large and dramatic-looking. It is still adansonii.
The key takeaway here is that adansonii’s multiple forms — each with a slightly different appearance — create a wide range of looks, which makes it genuinely difficult for less experienced growers to distinguish from obliqua at a glance. And that difficulty is exploited, both accidentally and deliberately, by sellers all over the world.
2. Monstera Obliqua: The Botanical Unicorn
Now let’s talk about the real thing. Monstera obliqua is, without exaggeration, one of the rarest plants on the planet. Not rare in the way that a slightly unusual cultivar is rare. Genuinely, historically, extraordinarily rare.
How rare? In the entire history of botanical science, Monstera obliqua has been officially collected and documented just 17 times. Seventeen. That is an almost incomprehensibly small number for a plant species. For context, many plant species are collected and documented hundreds or thousands of times over the course of botanical research. Obliqua has been formally collected 17 times ever.
This is why the hashtag #itsneverobl iqua exists on social media. It’s a gentle but pointed reminder from the plant community that the overwhelming majority of plants being sold or displayed under the obliqua name are not obliqua at all.
The Hard Truth About What’s Being Sold Online
Research and expert opinion in the Monstera community consistently point to the same conclusion: approximately 70% of plants sold or labelled as Monstera obliqua are actually Monstera adansonii in one of its various forms. The remaining 30% are likely hybrids of some kind — but they are still not true obliqua.
This happens for two reasons: genuine misidentification (even experienced growers can mistake narrow-form adansonii for obliqua), and deliberate mislabelling to command a higher price. A plant labelled obliqua sells for dramatically more than one correctly labelled as adansonii, which creates an obvious commercial incentive to get the name wrong. Even reputable, well-regarded plant shops have been documented selling adansonii round form clearly labelled and priced as obliqua.
As one highly respected expert in the Monstera community put it, you are more likely to be struck by lightning than to find a true Monstera obliqua in any local nursery. That is not hyperbole — that is a genuine reflection of how vanishingly rare this plant is in the horticultural trade.
Can You Actually Buy a True Monstera Obliqua?
In practical terms, almost certainly not through any regular retail channel. True Monstera obliqua exists in the hands of a tiny number of private specialist collectors — people who have spent years researching, sourcing, and carefully cultivating this plant. These collectors occasionally pass specimens between one another, and prices for a verified obliqua routinely reach three or four figures — when it’s available at all.
No mainstream nursery, online plant shop, or garden centre carries genuine obliqua. If a website is selling “Monstera obliqua” for a standard retail price, it is almost certainly selling adansonii. The rarity of obliqua means it never makes it into the commercial supply chain in any meaningful quantity.
If you genuinely own a true Monstera obliqua, you almost certainly know exactly where it came from, what you paid for it, and who you got it from. It is not the kind of plant that turns up by accident at a plant market.
3. A Brief History of Monstera Obliqua
For a plant so poorly understood by the general public, Monstera obliqua has a surprisingly well-documented (if limited) scientific history. Here’s a brief timeline:
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Year
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Event
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| 1975 | Monstera obliqua was collected by Monroe Birdsey in Peru — one of the few documented wild collections |
| 1981 |
Botanist Michael Madison verified the species and wrote a doctoral thesis titled “Revision of Monstera” — a foundational document in obliqua research
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| 1991 | The species was further verified by botanist Thomas Croat |
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Post-1991
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The plant has been cultivated at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens in Florida, where it has remained ever since
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| Present day | Only a small number of private collectors in the US (primarily South Florida) have successfully cultivated the Peruvian form; additional forms are being grown in France and have been documented in Brazil and Ecuador |
What Michael Madison’s doctoral thesis also noted — and this is botanically significant — is that stolons (runners) are especially common in Monstera obliqua. This characteristic, more than almost anything else, is what makes obliqua so distinctive and identifiable. We’ll come back to this in the differences section.
4. The Real Differences Between Monstera Adansonii and Monstera Obliqua
Now let’s get to what most people come to this topic for: how do you actually tell these two plants apart? There are several key differences, ranging from immediately obvious to more subtle. Here they are, from most to least definitive.
Difference 1: Leaf Texture — The Most Immediate Physical Clue
This is the first thing you’ll notice if you’re ever fortunate enough to hold both plants side by side — and it’s unmistakable.
Pick up a leaf of Monstera adansonii. It feels like a leaf. It has normal leaf thickness — not thick and waxy, not paper-thin, just a normal, healthy leaf texture. Nothing remarkable.
Now pick up a leaf of true Monstera obliqua. It is razor-thin. Thinner than paper. So thin, in fact, that when you hold it up to the light, you can see through it. There is almost nothing there. It feels barely present in your fingers, and that feeling is immediately and completely unlike any adansonii leaf — regardless of form.
This paper-thin texture is consistent across all known forms of obliqua. It is not a subtle difference. Once you’ve felt it, there is no confusion. If your plant feels like a normal leaf, it is not obliqua.
Difference 2: Stolons (Runners) — The Most Definitive Identifier
This is, in the opinion of many serious Monstera experts, the single most reliable way to identify a true Monstera obliqua — and it’s a difference that adansonii simply cannot replicate.
Monstera obliqua produces stolons — also called runners. These are thin, leafless vines that emerge directly from the stem of the plant. They look strange and unusual — like the plant is sending out long, exploratory tendrils with no apparent purpose. Each stolon has nodes along its length, and each of those nodes is capable of producing a complete new obliqua plant when it comes into contact with a suitable growing medium.
In nature, this is how obliqua propagates itself. Rather than growing tall as a climbing vine, it prefers to spread horizontally by sending these runners outward to colonise new ground. It’s a fundamentally different growth strategy from adansonii, and it’s a behaviour that obliqua performs instinctively — especially in household conditions where it can’t climb.
Monstera adansonii does not produce stolons. In any form — regular, narrow, or round — adansonii does not send out leafless runners from its stem. If your plant is producing these distinctive, wandering, nodded vines with no leaves, that is a very strong indicator that you have something unusual.
Botanical documentation by Michael Madison specifically notes that stolons are especially common in obliqua. One respected collector’s listing described the plant’s habit directly: rather than claiming a tree to climb, this plant prefers to send runners out to make new plants. That description captures obliqua’s behaviour perfectly.
Importantly, experts note that obliqua will only climb and flower if grown in exceptionally high humidity — conditions very rarely achieved in household environments. In typical home conditions, the plant will almost exclusively send out stolons rather than growing vertically. This means that most obliqua kept as houseplants will be primarily identifiable by their runners rather than by dramatic vertical growth or extreme fenestration.
Difference 3: The Holes — Rounder, Not Just More Numerous
The fenestrations (holes) in the leaves of adansonii and obliqua do differ in shape, though this is a more variable characteristic than the texture and stolon differences.
On Monstera adansonii, the holes tend to be elongated and slit-like — more oval or oblong in shape, running parallel to the central leaf vein. They’re generous holes, but they have a characteristic, long, narrow quality.
On Monstera obliqua (particularly the Peruvian form), the holes tend to be proportionally rounder and take up more of the total leaf surface area — creating a lacier, more dramatically perforated appearance overall.
However, it’s important not to treat hole shape as the only or primary identifier, because hole appearance varies significantly between different forms of obliqua (including forms with no holes at all — more on this shortly).
Difference 4: Growth Rate — Dramatically Slower
Monstera adansonii, in all its forms, grows at a normal vining pace. Given adequate light, water, and warmth, it produces new leaves regularly and will grow steadily in most household conditions.
Monstera obliqua, by contrast, grows with extreme slowness in any environment that falls short of near-perfect tropical conditions. In household settings, most obliqua plants will not produce new leaves with any regularity. Even in the wild — in genuinely ideal conditions — an obliqua plant may take several years to reach just a couple of feet in height.
In indoor household conditions, the plant’s energy goes almost entirely into producing stolons rather than new foliage. Expecting your supposed “obliqua” to grow new leaves at any reasonable speed is actually a sign that what you have is more likely adansonii.
To grow and perform as the famous photographs suggest — with dramatically perforated, lacy leaves — obliqua needs to be climbing in near-perfect humidity (around 80%), excellent light, optimal temperature, and ideal support. These conditions are essentially impossible to replicate in a standard home environment.
Difference 5: Leaf Edge Frilling (Observed, Not Officially Confirmed)
This last visual difference is worth mentioning with the caveat that it is an observed pattern rather than a formally confirmed botanical distinction.
When examining multiple specimens of obliqua — particularly the Peruvian form — alongside the various forms of adansonii, there appears to be a subtle frilling or undulation around the leaf edges of obliqua that is not present on adansonii in any form. Even the narrow form of adansonii, which most closely resembles obliqua visually, does not appear to share this quality.
This is not an official identification criterion, and it should not be used as a primary distinguishing feature. But it is something that careful observers have noted when comparing multiple specimens side by side, and it’s worth being aware of.
5. The “90% Hole” Myth — Debunked
If you’ve spent any time researching Monstera obliqua online, you’ve almost certainly encountered this claim: a true Monstera obliqua has leaves that are 90% hole. This phrase has become something of a mantra in the plant community — the quick test that people apply to decide whether a plant is “really” obliqua.
It’s a myth. And it’s a myth that needs correcting for two separate reasons.
Reason 1: The 90% Claim Only Applies to One Form
Even if the 90% figure were accurate, it would only apply to the Peruvian form of obliqua — the form most commonly depicted in the photographs that circulate online. Obliqua is not a single homogeneous plant. It exists in multiple forms across different regions, and those forms look significantly different from one another.
There are documented forms of Monstera obliqua that have much more modest fenestration — nothing like 90% hole. There is even a form, currently being cultivated in France (originating from Brazil), that has no holes at all. None. And it is still definitively identified as Monstera obliqua — identifiable by its stolons and paper-thin leaf texture, not its perforations.
So applying the “90% hole” test as a universal identifier for obliqua is botanically incorrect. Many true obliqua specimens would fail that test entirely.
Reason 2: Even the Peruvian Form Doesn’t Reach 90% Holes in Household Conditions
Here’s the part that surprises people the most: even if you have a genuine Peruvian-form obliqua growing in your home, you should not expect it to reach the dramatic 90% perforation level shown in famous photographs.
Expert understanding of this plant clarifies why: that level of extreme fenestration is only achieved by mature plants that have been climbing in genuinely wild, tropical conditions for an extended period of time. A plant growing in a household — no matter how well cared for — will not achieve that level of perforation. The conditions simply cannot be replicated indoors.
The photographs most commonly used to illustrate obliqua online are of wild specimens or plants grown in exceptionally controlled botanical environments. They represent the theoretical maximum of what obliqua can look like — not what obliqua looks like in your living room.
In short: using “90% hole” as a test to authenticate or dismiss an obliqua is unreliable in both directions. A genuine obliqua might not show 90% holes. And an adansonii that happens to have large, numerous holes is still not obliqua.
6. The Different Forms of Monstera Obliqua
One of the most underappreciated aspects of this plant is that obliqua does not have one single, fixed appearance. It exists in genuinely distinct forms that look remarkably different from one another, which adds another layer of complexity to an already complicated identification picture.
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Form
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Origin
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Appearance
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Notes
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| Peruvian Form | Peru | The ‘classic’ heavily perforated obliqua; extremely thin leaves; dramatic laciness when mature in the wild | The form most commonly depicted online; the one associated with the ‘90% hole’ claim; currently grown in South Florida |
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Brazilian / French Form
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Brazil (currently cultivated in France)
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Minimal to no holes; visually bears little resemblance to the Peruvian form
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Still definitively identified as obliqua; identifiable by stolons and leaf texture; demonstrates how misleading hole-based identification alone can be
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| Other documented forms | Ecuador, various South American regions | Varying fenestration levels and leaf shapes | The full range of obliqua variation is not yet comprehensively documented |
This diversity of form is exactly why relying solely on visual characteristics — particularly holes — to identify obliqua is unreliable. The only consistent identifying markers across all known forms of obliqua are the paper-thin leaf texture and the production of stolons (in the right conditions).
7. Honourable Mention: Monstera Epipremnoides
The adansonii vs. obliqua confusion is the most widespread case of Monstera misidentification, but it’s worth briefly noting that it’s not the only one. Monstera epipremnoides is another species that is routinely confused with adansonii — and like obliqua, it carries a significantly higher price tag when correctly identified.
On the surface, a mature Monstera epipremnoides can resemble a very large, heavily fenestrated adansonii. The leaves are bigger, the holes are more dramatic, and the overall appearance is more imposing. But it is a different species entirely, with distinct botanical characteristics that set it apart from adansonii.
Epipremnoides is considered a rare plant and is not readily available through mainstream retail channels. Like obliqua, correctly identified specimens command a considerable premium. It’s worth being aware of when navigating the world of rare Monstera species, as it demonstrates that the mislabelling problem extends well beyond just the adansonii/obliqua pairing.
8. How to Identify Your Plant: A Practical Checklist
Based on everything covered in this guide, here is a practical checklist you can apply to any plant you’re trying to identify:
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Check
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Adansonii Result
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Obliqua Result
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| Feel the leaf texture | Normal leaf thickness — feels like a standard leaf | Razor-thin — barely there; you can see through it when held to the light |
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Look for stolons (runners)
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None — adansonii does not produce leafless runners
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Likely present — thin, leafless vines with nodes, emerging from the stem
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| Examine the holes | Elongated, slit-like, running lengthwise | Rounder proportionally; but NOTE — some obliqua forms have no holes at all |
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Observe the growth rate
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Regular vining growth; new leaves at a normal pace
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Extremely slow; new leaves rare in household conditions
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| Consider where you bought it | Nurseries, plant shops, online retail — widely available | Only from verified specialist collectors; never from standard retail |
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Consider what you paid
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Standard houseplant pricing
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Three to four figures minimum for a verified specimen
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If you work through this checklist honestly, the answer for the vast majority of plants will be Monstera adansonii — and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Adansonii is a beautiful, rewarding, wonderful plant. Owning one is something to be genuinely pleased about.
9. Why This Matters: Protecting a Piece of Botanical History
At this point, you might be wondering: Does it really matter what a plant is called? If the plant is beautiful and healthy, why does the name matter?
It matters because Monstera obliqua is genuinely extraordinary — not just as a houseplant, but as a piece of natural history. With only 17 documented wild collections in the entirety of botanical science, it occupies a truly unique place in the plant kingdom. It is not merely rare in a commercial sense. It is rare in the deepest sense — a plant that the scientific community has barely encountered, let alone fully studied.
When nurseries and sellers routinely mislabel adansonii as obliqua — whether through ignorance or commercial motivation — what gets lost is public understanding of just how remarkable obliqua actually is. People who think they’ve been growing obliqua for years will never appreciate the genuine rarity of the real thing. And the real thing deserves to be appreciated.
Beyond that, the mislabelling creates a market where collectors and enthusiasts pay premium prices for plants that are not what they claim to be. That’s not just confusing — it’s a genuine problem for the integrity of the rare plant community.
The solution is simple: call adansonii what it is. It’s a stunning plant. The narrow form, the round form, the regular form — all of them are worth growing and celebrating on their own terms, without needing to be dressed up as something they’re not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have a Monstera obliqua?
Almost certainly not — and that’s not meant dismissively. True Monstera obliqua has been officially documented only 17 times in botanical history and exists in the hands of a tiny number of specialist collectors. If you bought your plant from a nursery, plant shop, online retailer, or market, what you have is almost certainly Monstera adansonii in one of its forms. The most reliable way to check is to feel the leaves (obliqua is razor-thin) and look for stolons (leafless runners from the stem).
What is the difference between Monstera adansonii and Monstera friedrichsthalii?
Nothing — they are the same plant. Friedrichsthalii is a synonym for adansonii, sometimes used informally to describe a more juvenile growth stage. There is no need to distinguish between the two names.
Is the ‘90% hole’ rule a reliable way to identify Monstera obliqua?
No. The 90% claim is a myth for two reasons. First, it only applies to the Peruvian form of obliqua — other forms have much less fenestration, and at least one known form has no holes at all. Second, even the Peruvian form only reaches that level of perforation in mature wild specimens growing in near-perfect tropical conditions. A household obliqua will not achieve that level of fenestration.
What are the stolons on Monstera obliqua?
Stolons — also called runners — are thin, leafless vines that emerge from the stem of the obliqua plant. They have nodes along their length, each of which is capable of producing a new individual plant. In household conditions, obliqua produces stolons rather than climbing, because climbing requires exceptionally high humidity that cannot be replicated indoors. No adansonii form produces stolons. Their presence is one of the most reliable indicators that a plant might be genuine obliqua.
Why is Monstera obliqua so rare?
Monstera obliqua is naturally rare in the wild and has been formally collected and documented only 17 times in all of botanical science. Its extremely slow growth rate, very specific environmental requirements (high humidity, ideal climbing conditions), and the fact that it spreads primarily by stolons rather than seed mean that it propagates and spreads slowly even in ideal conditions. It has never been commercially cultivated at scale and exists only with a small number of serious specialist collectors.
Can Monstera adansonii narrow form be mistaken for obliqua?
Yes — this is one of the most common sources of confusion. The narrow form of adansonii has a more exotic, slender leaf appearance than the regular form, and it’s regularly sold or described as obliqua by sellers who either don’t know better or do. The definitive way to distinguish them: feel the leaves (narrow form adansonii has normal leaf thickness; obliqua is paper-thin) and check for stolons (adansonii produces none).
Are there different forms of Monstera obliqua?
Yes. Obliqua exists in multiple forms from different regions of South America. The Peruvian form is the most well-known and is the one associated with the famous heavily perforated appearance. A Brazilian form, currently cultivated in France, has no holes at all. Other forms have varying levels of fenestration. This diversity means that visual identification based on holes alone is unreliable — the paper-thin texture and stolons are the consistent markers across forms.
Final Thoughts: Celebrate What You Have
If you’ve read this far, hoping to confirm that your plant is a Monstera obliqua — we’re sorry to be the ones delivering this particular piece of news. But what you almost certainly have is Monstera adansonii, and genuinely: that’s a wonderful thing to have. It’s a beautiful, characterful, easy-to-grow plant with multiple interesting forms. It fenestrates readily, it grows at a satisfying pace, it propagates easily, and it looks gorgeous in any home.
The goal of this guide has never been to diminish adansonii. It has been to properly honour obliqua — a plant so rare that it has been formally encountered only 17 times in scientific history, grows impossibly slowly even in ideal conditions, and exists in the hands of perhaps a few dozen people worldwide. That plant deserves to be understood and respected for what it actually is: a genuine botanical unicorn.
So: enjoy your adansonii. Learn its forms. Grow it well. And if you ever encounter a true Monstera obliqua — whether in a botanical garden, a collector’s home, or a very rare transaction — you’ll now know exactly what you’re looking at, and why it’s so special.
Have questions about your Monstera or thoughts on the adansonii vs obliqua debate? Drop them in the comments below — we’d love to hear from you!
