Monstera deliciosa fruit

A houseplant that produces edible fruit in optimal conditions

You’ll all be familiar with Monstera deliciosa, the houseplant that proves everyone can remember botanical names. But did you know that, although the plant itself is toxic, it produces edible fruit? While in Madeira we had the chance to try it - so, is Monstera as deliciosa as claimed?

In short, no, but let’s first explore what it is. The fruit is the fertilised spathe, which is initially protected by the lighter hood called the spadix. You can see both in the above photo outside the place we stayed in Madeira, the spadix here are going brown. As the fruit is fertilised - the plant can self fertilise - the protective individual outer segments begin to fall away from the bottom up.

In this picture I’m a holding a fruit upside down and you can see where the segments have fallen away. We bought a fruit from the market in Funchal, the island’s capital city. There the trader who sold it to us explained how the fruit ripens along its length over a number of days, never at once. Saying it is known as the pineapple banana because it tastes of both.

The outer green scales brush off on the segments that are ripe, which can then be pulled away easily with a fork. It’s a lot like a pineapple in its appearance with smaller chunks. They are very distantly related.

What’s it like to eat?

Well, I found consistency is like a cross between a banana and a pineapple funnily enough, a bit slimey with more resistance than a banana and the taste is like a mild combination of the two, perhaps with a little strawberry. It reminded me of the flavour of Asian pear, albeit with a much softer texture. That sweet tropical flavour without overpowering.

Monstera deliciosa is from the western tropical and subtropical areas of South America. It can’t tolerate subzero temperatures but can tolerate dry low light conditions of homes around the world. On Madeira it grows as an ornamental and an edible.

The whole plant is mildly toxic to humans and pets due to its calcium oxalate content, which are thread-like crystals. Ripe portions of fruit are safe to eat, though my throat still had a slight reaction so I didn’t eat too much. It’s not too bad for you if you eat some raw, but will cause a burning or soreness in your throat, and potentially stomach upset.

If you grow Monstera deliciosa at home, it’s unlikely your plant will produce ripe fruit because of the small pots we grow them in. In the wild, Monstera deliciosa is a large climber or scrambler, and would need to be many metres in size to fruit. That said, there’s no harm in giving it a try. Just grow it in a much larger pot and fertilise and water well.

Personally, I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat Monstera fruit. It does taste nice but isn’t the most satisfying fruit I’ve ever eaten. The way it ripens is too fussy, though perhaps there’s an opportunity for someone to cultivate a version that is easier to harvest in future.

Jack