Are You Taking the Real Plant Home? Everything About Super Rare Monstera Obliqua

About Monstera Obliqua:

Monstera obliqua is a species of the genus Monstera native to Central and South America. The most well known form of obliqua is the one from Peru, often described as being “more holes than leaf” but there are forms in the obliqua complex with little to no fenestration such as the Bolivian type. An illustration of the general variation in adult leaf shape from different individuals of this species can be found in Michael Madison’s ‘A Revision of Monstera’. 

An hemiepiphytic climber like most other Monstera species, obliqua is particularly known for its foliage, which is often highly fenestrated, to the point where there is more empty space than leaf. Quite expensive in cultivation, this species is often confused for other Monstera like Monstera adansonii.

Shopping for rare herbs is much easier thanks to the online options available.

But when we shop online, we often don’t find what we’re looking for because some plants are so rare that people don’t even know their proper names.

For example, Monstera Obliqua, a rare plant due to its delicate lacy leaves, is commercially available, but it is not the real Obliqua. In fact, you can not find information about this plant even on Wikipedia. (Monstera Obliqua)

“70 percent of plants being sold in the markets are not real Obliqua” – Dr. Tom Croat (Muggle Plant 2018)

Color difference due to different light spectrum.

Monstera Obliqua:

The debate between real and fake Obliqua has always been here, but DR. He mentioned Tom Croat (muggle plant, 2018) Monstera Varieties from the Missouri botanical gardens cited in the study.

Tom Croatian said:

“While there are still officially 48 Monstera species, the two are most often confused with each other. Monstera Obliqua and Adansonii.”

He further added:

Monstera Adansonii and Monstera Friedrichsthalii are synonyms or same names for a plant, but Obliqua and Adansonii are not the same species.

However, to dispel all the myths and questions from your mind, we have brought you an in-depth guide called “Are you taking home the real Monstera Obliqua”.

Here you go:

Complete Guide on Real and Rare Monstera Obliqua:

So what is the real Obliqua? What does it look like and how should it be maintained, grown and propagated? Read the following lines:

Identifying Monstera Obliqua For Appearance:

In appearance, Monstera Obliqua is a small plant that grows very low above the ground.

The appearance of Monstera Obliqua is quite variable. It is a very small plant that grows only a few feet high and you can describe it as a green climbing plant.

1. M. Obliqua Leaves:

It is mostly known for its unsymmetrical perforated small leaves. However, some studies and experts say:

Another thing you can recognize leaves is their delicacy. If the leaves are feeling leathery and delicate, you probably have the Adansonii plant.

Because Monstera Obliqua has more holes than leaves, sometimes the leaves tear the leaf frame. Therefore, you cannot get an identifiable leaf shape for Obliquas.

2. M. Obliqua Stem:

In addition to being one of the smallest varieties of Monstera, Obliqua is the thinnest of its kind, with a stem width of 2 mm when only the juvenile is planted.

The annum growth rate for the Obliqua stem is 2-5m a year.

3. M. Obliqua Runner:

Runners, also known as stolons, are small, lifeless stem fragments that break off and fall off the plant on the forest floor.

They begin to grow horizontally, and when they reach a tree, a new Obliqua begins to form.

Obliqua Runner can grow up to 20m length.

If it does not reach the tree up to 20 meters, growth stops.

4. M. Obliqua Flowering:

Yes, Monstera Obliqua does flower; but there is no specific season. Flowering can begin and occur in any month of the year. During the flowering season, several successive inflorescences occur.

Obliqua forms 8 spades in a panicle during flowering for 1.5 years after germination.

Other Monstera varieties produce only 2 spades.

5. M. Obliqua Fruit:

Monstera Obliqua has unique fruit, it begins to form with a green spathe, then turns bright yellow and then turns dark orange in the final stage.

The unique Obliqua orange spherical fruits do not form in clusters like other spades.

Monstera Obliqua Propagation:

Obliqua is a slow growing but rare plant, so no one knows much about its propagation and how to grow it. That said, we’ve gathered a few tips from the experts, described below:

The Peruvian form of M Obliqua can be reproduced in two ways:

1. Stolon or Runner
2. Cuttings

1. Monstera Obliqua Peru Propagation from Stolon:

Obliqua runners are produced from time to time that offer a helping hand for breeding. Runners are small dead stems that grow in size but do not produce leaves, flowers or fruit.

The main question is how to spread it through stolon. Here you go with the steps to grow the aroid unicorn M Obliqua:

1. Tubers that have not fallen yet root them.
2. You will need to provide enough moisture for the stolon to produce roots and leaves.
3. The best organic mud for propagation is sphagnum moss, which you will put under each runner.
4. Once you see the tubers starting to form roots, you can use more sphagnum moss and make them bigger.

Stolon sections can be cut before rooting; but this way growth will be a bit difficult.

1. Once you see the roots begin to burst, it’s time to move the Obliquas to the growing medium.
2. At this time, you will use coconut coir for successful growth.

Precaution to take:

Obliquas of the Monstera variety needs moisture to grow; so try to provide them with 90 to 99 percent humidity for faster and easier growth.

2. Monstera Obliqua Peru Propagation from cutting:

Another way of growing M. obliqua is propagation by cutting the plant part. For this, follow these steps:

1. Try to make the parts of the plant that are starting to take root cute,
2. Use sphagnum moss to start rooting between sections, and then make cuttings when aerial roots appear.

Now use all the above steps and precautions for your monstera plant to grow successfully.

Monstera Obliqua Care:

If you’re an expert, M Obliqua is an easy-care plant for the home or office. Semi-shaded locations allow it to develop brightly, but direct sunlight should be avoided. Use hanging containers or baskets where water can flow from the bottom, growing Obliquas well. The soil should be moist, but not wet feet.

This is about the Monstera Obliqua species from the 12 Monstera cultivars.

Before we end this discussion, let’s discuss some Concluding findings about this Unicorn Aroid that we have obtained and collected and which we would be happy to share with you:

Where To Find Real Obliquas?

For this, check the details below:

3. Habitation for Obliquas:

Obliquas’ best habitat is the roots of trees that grow around the sea, because it lives in a temporary habitat.

It doesn’t get too big, doesn’t even spread its branches and leaves over the truck, so it also grows in the dunks of small trees.

It reaches maturity even on small trees, as it is not a big climber. Its teeny size has the advantage that it can take advantage of a substrate not found in other plants.

Do you know: It covers a total 0.2-0.4 m2 total area with 2 to 5 meters long stem having 30 to 70 leaves per annum.

It has the ability to absorb food, water and other nutrients from the still moist residues of dead plants, which also get moisture from rain.

4. Geographical Presence and Abundance:

You can find Monstera Obliqua in abundance in the Amazon basin.

But this isn’t the only geographic location for this unicorn arcade, as you can find it in places as diverse as Panama, South America, Costa Rica, Peru, and the Guyanas.

How could this plant be rare and invisible even though it can be found in many places at once? We will describe the reasons and possibilities for this in the “Findings” section of the blog.

5. Monstera Obliqua Growth Cycle:

Monstera Obliqua is not a fast runner, but a slow grower because many experts and plant collectors do not consider it a houseplant.

If you accidentally purchased Adansonii as an Obliqua, you will see growth at a steady rate as new leaves appear every minute. This is not the case with the real and original Obliqua.

It takes a year or eight months for Obliqua to grow 30 to 70 new leaves. However, on the lower stem near the root, 3 to 5 leaves grow fairly quickly, around one leaf per month.

Do you know that M. Obliqua is often confused with Monstera Adansonii? But if you look closely, you’ll see that Obliqua and Adansonii are quite different from each other.

Real VS. Fake Monstera Obliqua

There are three forms in which Monstera Adansonii is available:

1. The Regular Form
2. The Round Form
3. The Narrow Form

In its normal form, Adansonii is less similar to Obliqua and easily identifiable by small holes away from the leaf frame.

In the round form, the holes on the leaves are more rounded in shape, larger, and appear without any particular symmetry.

On the other hand, the narrow form of Adnasonii is more often confused with Obliqua as it has larger holes. The plant is tropical, but not Obliqua.

Renowned expert on Monstera, Dr. Thomas B. Croatian claimed:

The difference between Adansonii and Obliqua is subtle but essential and appears in the leaves; Obliqua leaves are paper-thin and have more holes than leaves, while Adansonii has more leaves than holes and feels thin to the touch.

We can also say that the difference in Adansonii and Obliuqa is:

The holes of the Adansonii are away from the leaf frame, while Obliqua holes are so big that sometimes they damage the leaf frame as well.

Questions and Findings:

Question: As the plant has so many places where it can be found in abundance, how is it possible that it is still rare?

Finding: M Obliqua is such a small plant that grows on tree trunks and green fossils of trees. There are chances that researchers couldn’t have seen it or paid attention to it when it was still there.

Question: Monstera Obliqua growth is so slow, how can we grow it at homes?

Finding: Well all this plant needs is humidity around 90 percent if you can provide that, the plant will show easy and healthy growth.

Question: How can it be best for Monstera Obliqua’s growth at home?

Finding: If you can provide light, humidity, temperature, and good required soil for growth, it can be grown at home.

Question: What if I have Adansonii than Obliqua, what should I do?

Finding: Well, then call your plant Adansonii than Obliqua. Just call it with right name until you find the real Obliqua.

Monroe Birdsey collected Monstera Obliqua in Peru in 1975 and Dr. It was confirmed by Michael Madison in his 1977 work Revision of Monstera. However, Monstera is not called Peru; this is another kind.

It is one of the smallest species in the genus and is very rarely found, most likely for research purposes only. And even so, you’ll have to pay a 3- to 4-digit price to buy it.

Bottom Line:

It’s all about Monstera Obliqua and its growth and care. If you have more questions, comment below.

Also, if you love rare plants and want to grow them at home, be sure to check out our gardening blogs, especially the Mini Monstera (Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma) blog.

Also, don’t forget to pin/bookmark and visit our blog for more interesting but original information. (Vodka And Grape Juice)