The Monstera Lechleriana is a large leafed, climbing monstera with lots of beautiful leaf fenestrations.

The Lechleriana is one of the larger monstera.

Expect this beauty to take a substantial piece of your room. And it loves to climb. High ceilings and a proper pole or wall with a trellis are perfect for this plant baby.

This plant LOVES the light. Strong indirect bright light is a must for best growth and those interesting leaf splits. Fenestrations are produced when the vine is grown in a good amount of light.

The plant may survive in low light conditions but it will not produce the characteristic fenestrations.

This plant is somewhat rare. You will have trouble finding it in a local plant shop unless you are very lucky. The variegated form is especially difficult to source at the moment.

However, There are some of these beauties available through Etsy. I have some links below to help you out there.

Monstera Lechleriana — This Picture Courtesy of the SurfShackGreenhouse On Etsy

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Shop Monstera Lachleriana on Etsy!

The lechleriana is another stunning specimen from the Araceae plant family.

Monstera Lechleriana originates in Central America. Like other monsteras is requires warmth and lots of humidity. These are plant members of the tropical rainforests.

These are epiphytes. That means they grow with aroid roots that reach and climb over the forest floor and up trees. These vines use the nourishing wet moss of the jungle and soil nooks in the tree bark to plant their roots and continue on.

They will reach for the light and go right up trees to get both light and nourishment.

This means your lachleriana will enjoy growing on a moss pole so it can be fed and moisturized as it climbs. A Moss pole will give you both excellent leaf growth and plant size.

Eventually you will need a well anchored good sized pole.

Monsteras are good Air Filtering Plants for Your Home

Monstera Lechleriana vs. Adansonii

Lechleriana similarities to Adansonii.

Most people see the Swiss cheese plant as the closest to the Lechleriana.

Both have beautiful fenestrations that do not split the leaf edge and even the leaf shape is similar.

The monstera Adonsonii and monstera lecheriani care needs are also similar. However, the Lechleriana will benefit from even more light than your Adansonii requires.

Both will enjoy climbing on a moss pole, strong indirect light and a good aroid mix for their soil.

Both of these Monsteras cannot tolerate soggy wet soil that compacts around their roots. It will result in root rot and yellowing leaves.

Monstera Lechleriana vs. monstera Addondsonaii — Leaf detail-Monstera Lechleriana Vs. Monstera Adonsonii (the Swiss cheese Plant)

The Differences:

As you see pictured above, the Adonsonii has more delicate lacy leaves.
Lecherliana grows several times larger than the adonsonii in both leaf and vine.
The holes in the leaves are closer to the mid rib of the leaf. This plant’s leaf is thicker and more textured than the Swiss cheese plant.

So if you love the open leaf fenestration look go ahead and get both. 🙂

Variegated Monstera Lechleriana are also available on Etsy.

Lechleriana Care:

When small and immature, the Lechleriana will not show many, if any, leaf fenestrations. This is normal for this plant.

But with maturity and proper care you will have a large and stunning statement plant for your home. With LOTS of beautiful leaf splits.

Read our complete care guide below for all the details on how to best take care of your Monstera Lechleriana.

Yield: Printable Care Guide

Monstera Lechleriana Care Guide

The Monstera Lechleriana is a large lovely evergreen plant. It has beautiful green leaves with holes (fenestrations) that add interest and texture to this magnificent plant..

This plant also comes in a rare variegated leaf form.

This Care Guide will teach you how to keep this houseplant happy all through the year.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Difficulty easy

Materials

Tools

Pot (ceramic, plastic, or terra cotta)
Potting medium (perlite, soil, peat moss, and orchid bark)
Scissors
Rubbing Alcohol

Instructions

Soil Preference:

All Monsteras prefer well draining soil. The roots requirs lots of oxygen and will rot quickly if they sit in moist soil.
A homemade aroid soil mix of 1/2 potting soil and 1/2 peat moss or coco fiber is a good mix for monsteras. Add bark or perlite for an even lighter mix.
Make sure your pot has drainage at the bottom. Do not use a pot with no drainage hole for this plant.
A heavy soil potting mix is not recommended for Monsteras

Pot Size and Type:

The monstera Lechleriana can grow in many different kinds of pots, I like to plant mine in terra cotta pots with a drainage hole.
Repot every second year or when roots come out the drainage holes on the pot bottom. Don't jump to a huge pot from a small one. Just go to the next size up pot for the root ball. Too much soil around the root ball invites wet soil conditions and root rot will follow.

Moss Poles and Trellising:

Your lachleriana will enjoy growing on a moss pole so it can be fed and moisturized as it climbs. This will give you both excellent leaf growth and plant size. Eventually you will need a well anchored good sized pole.

Lighting:

This monstera will be happiest in BRIGHT indirect light. It will also grow just fine in lower light conditions, but the growth will be slower. You will not see optimal leaf fenstrations unless the plant has the proper light conditions.
Bright filtered sunlight from a window will produce best color, leaf size and plant growth.
Make sure the lechleriana isn't sitting in constant direct sunlight. The leaves can burn and yellow.

Watering:

Water your monstera when the soil is dry at least an inch down. These aroid plants are typically drought resistant and can withstand longer periods of dryness compared to other houseplants. Every two weeks should be fine.
Watering is best done on a regular schedule so the plant is not over or under watered. Both can cause stress on the plant.
In dormant winter months reduce watering to when the soil is dry.
Never let this plant get wet feet. This plant is susceptible to root rot and fungus gnats in heavy moist soils.

Humidity Tips:

Like all monstera the lechleriana enjoys a humid environment. Keep the plant at 60% humidity or higher for best growth and hydration. Her are some ways to do that.

Set it on a large pebble tray with water in it.
give your plant room a good sized humidifier.
Group plants together so they respire together and keep the humidity up.
Use a hygrometer to monitor the humidity and check it often.

How to Fertilize:

Apply a good quality fertilizer (linked in materials) monthly through Spring and summer.
Decrease feedings by late Fall and allow this plant to rest through the winter months.

Temperature:

The monstera plant will do best in temperatures between 65-85 degrees F.

Leaf Washing:

Monstera plants benefit from monthly leaf washing to dust and pests off. This also open the leaf stomata so the leaf can absorb moisture and respire oxygen to your room.

1 1/2 Tsp. Neem oil to a quart of distilled water is a good solution for applying directly to the leaves to deter pests. Wash both the top and bottom of the leaf.

Pests:

This monstera is a hardy resilient plant. However all plants can get attacked by pests.
Stress by longterm overwatering, poor light, extreme temperatures and soil conditions are contributors to plant stress..
Spider mites, mealy bugs, scale, thrips and whitefly are the most common houseplant pests you will see.
Read our post on How to get rid of aphids and other pests with our homemade pesticide soap recipe or neems oil.
To minimize the possibility of pests be sure to check all nursery plants before bringing them home.
Quarantine all new plants until you are sure no pests live in them.

How to Propagate:

Stem Cuttings:

Cut stem in the internodal spacing using sterile scissors
Place in water or wet spagnum moss with nodes and stem down in the water or moss and the leaf up.
After several weeks roots will grow
Plant in soil when roots are 2-3 inches long

Planting From Seed:

Read my post and watch my video series on how to propagate monstera from seeds.

Toxic Plant Warning:

All Monstera plants are toxic. Keep them away from kids and pets.

Notes

This plant does best when trained onto a moss pole or trellis so it can climb. Watch the video below of us repotting and staking our raphidophora tetrasperma for tips on repotting climbing aroids.

Monstera Lechleriana

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