Swiss cheese vine guide

What it is

Swiss cheese vine is a monstera, but not the big one. It is Monstera adansonii, a different species from Monstera deliciosa. The leaves are smaller, thinner, and full of oval holes, even when young. The edges stay whole. It vines fast and can climb a pole or trail from a hanging pot.

How to tell it apart

Plant	Leaves	The tell
Swiss cheese vine	Thin, oval, full of holes	Holes inside the leaf, edges stay solid
Mini monstera	Deep slits from edge to midrib	Splits run to the edge, no closed holes
Monstera standleyana	Solid, no holes, often with white streaks	No holes at all

Care differences

Its thin leaves dry out faster than a regular monstera. Water when the top 2 to 3 cm (1 in) of soil is dry. It also likes more humidity. In dry winter air, leaf edges brown and crisp.

It grows much faster than Monstera deliciosa. Pinch the vine tips to keep it full. Give it a moss pole to climb, and the leaves grow larger with more holes.

Grow it from a cutting

Cut a vine just below a node. Root it in water or moist soil. Roots show in one to two weeks. Put several cuttings in one pot. A single vine looks thin.

Pet safety

Like all monsteras, Swiss cheese vine contains calcium oxalate crystals. It is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed.

Buying it

Swiss cheese vine is common at garden centers and big box stores, often in hanging baskets. Look for full pots with many vines and leaves down to the soil. Skip plants with crispy brown edges, a sign they dried out. Rare Monstera obliqua sells for a high price and looks a little like it, with thinner leaves that are more hole than leaf. Some sellers use that name on a regular Swiss cheese vine.