Monstera gracilis (M)

Monstera gracilis is a rare and unique species of climbing flowering plant native to eastern Colombia. It is characterized by its thin, membranaceous leaves, deciduous petiole, sheath wings, and slenderer stems. The plant produces smaller spadices and has a more delicate structure compared to related species such as Monstera dissecta and Monstera adansonii. Monstera gracilis is distinguished from M. adansonii by the smaller spathe and spadix and the pinnatifid leaves. The yellow berries of M. gracilis are prismatic and armed with numerous trichosclereids in the upper portion, while the orange-coloured globose berries of M. obliqua lack trichosclereids in the stylar portion. This species is confined to a limited geographic area in eastern Colombia and is known from only a few collections.