Every plant parent with a young Monstera knows the anticipation in this picture. Will this be the first leaf that unfurls with those mysterious, elegant splits?
“Fenestration” comes to us, like most technical horticulture words, from Latin and essentially just means that the leaf has developed naturally with holes. Collectors adore fenestrated leaves and with good reason! Not only are they majestic to behold, but they also signify a healthy, happy Monstera. In their wild habitat of tropical rainforests these plants must maximize their access to precious sunlight. To do this they have mastered climbing, evolved for aerial roots, and even changed the shape of their leaves as they mature in age and height. Young, lower canopy leaves are typically solid with no holes. However, once the plant’s crown gets to be around three feet off the soil, fenestrated leaves begin to emerge. This process is believed to help ensure that the lower leaves still receive what dappled sunlight can reach their level while upward growth continues.
And it’s not just Monstera plants that do this: some Epipremnum species and some succulents fenestrate too! How magnificent it is to observe nature’s wonders in our own homes.
