Monstera acuminata, or shingle plant, is a species of flowering plant from family Araceae which is widespread from Mexico to Central America.[1] It is abundant in central Petén and extends north to San Luis Potosí, making it the northernmost of the species of Monstera.[2]
| Monstera acuminata | |
|---|---|
| |
| M acuminata growing near La Milpa in Belize | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Araceae |
| Genus: | Monstera |
| Species: | M. acuminata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Monstera acuminata | |
Description
editMonstera acuminata germinates in the ground and grows horizontally as a low prostrate herb.[3] The juvenile plant is much smaller and heart-shaped with thick, roundish, waxy leaves which grow in two ranks and overlap each other with the stem elliptic in cross section and internodes 1–5 cm long and asymmetric leaves.[4][2]
When it encounters a tree trunk, it uses its ageotropic anchoring roots to grow vertically.[3] The adult plant appears similar to that of Monstera deliciosa and these leaves are developed when the plant reaches 15 feet and is an example of dimorphism. The leaves are smooth or papillose stem 2–3.5 cm thick with internodes 6–11 cm long.[4][2] After it grows upwards, the base of the stem of the hemiepiphyte dies and rots, thereby losing its connection to the soil.[3]
References
edit- ^ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
- ^ a b c "Monstera acuminata K.Koch". e-monocot.org. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
- ^ a b c López-Portillo, J.; Ewers, F. W.; Angeles, G.; Fisher, J. B. (2000-02-01). "Hydraulic architecture of Monstera acuminata: evolutionary consequences of the hemiepiphytic growth form". New Phytologist. 145 (2): 289–299. doi:10.1046/j.1469-8137.2000.00578.x. ISSN 1469-8137.
- ^ a b Miller, Wilhelm (1906-01-01). Cyclopedia of American Horticulture: Comprising Suggestions for Cultivation of Horticultural Plants, Descriptions of the Species of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Ornamental Plants Sold in the United States and Canada, Together with Geographical and Biographical Sketches, and a Synopsis of the Vegetable Kingdom. Doubleday, Page.
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