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 This is a continuously updated archive of the Aroid-L mailing list in a forum format - not an actual Forum. If you want to post, you will still need to register for the Aroid-L mailing list and send your postings by e-mail for moderation in the normal way.

  Monstera fruits - when ripe?
From: Steve Marak <samarak at gizmoworks.com> on 2009.08.05 at 04:11:26(19632)
Aroiders,

I thought this topic had been discussed before on Aroid-L, but I can't
find it - how long does it take Monstera fruits to ripen, and how does one
tell they are ripe?

Last year about this time, a Monstera cutting in the greenhouse (which
had, of course, gone through into the ground) began flowering. Two fruits
formed. I thought I remembered from that previous discussion that I can't
find that it takes quite some time for them to ripen, so I wasn't
concerned until I saw it flowering again the other day and realized it's a
year later.

Last year's fruits are indeed a bit softer, but in the way that wood is
softer than rock, not in a way that makes me think they're edible.

Thanks,

Steve

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From: "Christopher Rogers" <crogers at ecoanalysts.com> on 2009.08.05 at 16:49:51(19636)
Hello, Steve!

When my Monstera deliciosa fruits are ripe, they begin to peel away from the spadix. They are delicious (hence the name) and taste very similar to bread fruit. Some folks cannot eat them: they get a strong tingling, pin pricking sensation on the lips that they tell me is uncomfortable. It may be the needle like crystals that the plant defends itself with, but not everyone gets this sensation, even when we are eating the fruit of the same plant.

Good luck!

D. Christopher Rogers

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From: ExoticRainforest <Steve at ExoticRainforest.com> on 2009.08.05 at 18:15:49(19639)
Steve, It has been our experiencethat Monstera deliciosa takes about 10 months to be ripe enoughto eat. We now have two spadices approaching maturity and my wifechecks them almost daily. They will soon end up in the kitchen andwill be quickly devoured. We watch for the surface of the spadix tobegin to spread apart and also check the smell. The color normallybegins to turn yellow as well. Be sure and do not eat the outersurface since the fruit is the second layer beneath the outer surface.

I've included a photo of one Janice ate last year! I think I got onebite.

Steve Lucas

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From: Don Martinson <LLmen at wi.rr.com> on 2009.08.06 at 01:44:30(19642)
Steve,

Go to the following site:

http://thelivingkitchen.wordpress.com/

Then scroll down to the following listing:

Mystery Fruit Revealed!
June 1, 2008

A good description and photos to boot!

Don Martinson

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From: Brian Williams <pugturd at windstream.net> on 2009.08.06 at 05:54:37(19644)
Steve it takes usually over 1 year for the fruit to ripen. You can tell
once the fruit gets very soft and the dark green octagon like caps on
top of the fruit fall off extremely easily or own their own. The fruit
is usually very slimy. My experience is the seeds are usually very large
depending on the species but PP size to nickel size seeds. Avoid the
slime as much as possible. I know the fruit can be eaten and usually
taste very sweet, but when I prepared my seeds I did not wear gloves and
my hands itched for hours. I have photos of the entire process if you
need them.
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From: Michael Pascall <mickpascall at hotmail.com> on 2009.08.06 at 07:25:01(19645)
Steve , yes it takes 1 whole year for monstera fruit to ripen .
You will notice the older fruits slowly drooping to nearly horizontal .
The scales closest to the peduncle [base ] will start peeling off .
This is the perfect time to pick . Wrap up in newspaper , and you can place in a plastic bag with a ripe banana to speed up ripening .
This is so you can eat more than the few cms that ripen normally.
Be careful not to peel off to many scales as the fruit may irritate your mouth.

I used to have several fruits standing up in jars in the kitchen . And eat a little from each one mmmmmmm. Dissapointing when you find seed in the fruit as there is less flesh then .
Actually very rare to get seeds .
Michael Pascall,

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From: Steve Marak <samarak at gizmoworks.com> on 2009.08.07 at 22:53:46(19660)
Thanks to all of you who responded about the Monstera fruits. Knowing what
to look for (for what to look?) helps a lot.

I do see that the ones from last year are are beginning to decline toward
horizontal a little bit, so perhaps soon ...

We'll be cautious in tasting and handling. I routinely clean aroid seed
(and pretty much all others too) without gloves and have never experienced
any skin irritation, so I'm less concerned about that, but I understand
this does not necessarily carry over to eating something.

Steve

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From: "Tom Croat" <Thomas.Croat at mobot.org> on 2009.08.09 at 20:34:47(19673)
Steve:

I am kind of amazed that you have fruited a Monstera. What pollinated
it? The fruits usually take nearly a year to develop on the big one but
I think that on M. oblique the development time can be only a month or
so.

Tom

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From: Peter Boyce <phymatarum at googlemail.com> on 2009.08.10 at 07:14:07(19678)
Steve, Tom, et al.,

I've been following this thread with much interest.

Here in Sarawak Monstera deliciosa fruits and sets viable seed regularly;
the main visitor (pollinator?) is a melolonthin scarab, tentatively
identified as Apogonia pygidialis Ritsema, which also visits numerous
indigenous aroids, notably Homalomena.

As Tom mentions, the infructescences of M. deliciosa take almost 12 months
to mature. Just prior to the stylar plates beginning to slough away, the
entire infructescence starts to produce a powerful odour reminiscent of
overripe pineapple.

Very best

Peter

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From: Eric Schmidt <leu242 at yahoo.com> on 2009.08.10 at 14:06:12(19680)
We have lots on Monstera climbing the trees and they fruit heavily every year. We never get the fruit. The vines are 20-25ft up the tree trunks and the fruit is usually up high. The fruit that is easier to reach almost always gets eaten by the wildlife; rats,squirrels,possums,racoons,birds, etc. Something is pollinating it, too, as viable seed is being produced. We have been finding more stray seedlings come up in the past few years.

Eric Schmidt

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From: Steve Marak <samarak at gizmoworks.com> on 2009.08.11 at 06:58:22(19688)
Tom,

I have no idea what the pollinator might have been. We didn't notice any
insects on them during flowering, but an amazing variety of insects
- and sometimes other wildlife - passes through the greenhouse in the
summer.

It's flowering again now - I'll try to keep an eye open for potential
pollinators.

Steve

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From: Michael Pascall <mickpascall at hotmail.com> on 2009.08.11 at 11:32:53(19691)
Just because it has fruit , does not mean it has been pollinated .
Out of 100 fruits eaten . maybe only 5 will have seeds , and then only a few .

Michael Pascall,

> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:58:22 -0500
> From: samarak@gizmoworks.com

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From: piaba <piabinha at yahoo.com> on 2009.08.12 at 17:46:01(19706)
is this the only aroid fruit that is edible to humans?

=======tsuh yang

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