Monday, January 31, 2011

Mother Nature's Artistry

This month's installment of Mother Nature's Artistry is a close-up of an immature Monstera deliciosa fruit.  When the fruit is ripe, the scales fall off to reveal the delicious white pulp inside.
Mother Nature's Artistry is presented here on the last day of every month.  Check back again next month to see what Mother Nature has been up to!

9 comments:

Hazel said...

Oh Wow! It looks like a carefully sewn patchwork quilt made from velvet with little beads sewn on.

Ali said...

Hey Grower Jim, I have two of these plants in my garden, but neither are fruiting yet. Do you know how long yours took to fruit?

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a great picture! I've never seen this fruit.

Grower Jim said...

Ali: If you started them from seed it may take two or three years before they are big enough to fruit. If you started from a mature tip cutting with a thick stem, they should flower with the next growth cycle. Flowering is usually in mid-summer, and then it will take another 14 months for the fruit to mature!

lotusleaf said...

It is beautiful! I too get flowers on my monstera plant. Is the fruit edible?

Cat said...

Very cool indeed...love that mosaic pattern!

Meems said...

Really pretty. Mother nature does artistry like no other.

If mine didn't freeze back each winter it might set some fruit one of these summers. :-)

Grower Jim said...

lotusleaf: The fruit is edible, but only when fully ripe and the scales start falling off by themselves. Even then, you can only eat the part that has been exposed. One fruit will ripen over a period of about a week and you eat a little bit each day.

Meems: Mine are under heavy tree canopy so if there is a hard freeze they only get some leaf damage. The stems remain and flower each year.

compost in my shoe said...

Would make for a fantastic pattern of ceramic tiles!