We spent the weekend in Jensen Beach to celebrate my sister's 50th birthday. The property on the Indian River has over 100 different species of edibles.

One of the plants that I see all of the time on Naked and Afraid is Monstera Deliciouso. It is the background a lot when they are in tropical areas in central and northern South America. It is cultivated in South Florida and has escaped cultivation.

We were eating star fruit which was ripe every where and was talking about all of the other plants and I brought up Monstera being seen on the show a lot and pointed it out. I leave for awhile and come back and my brother-in-law has one in front of him and has tried it.

The one he picked is unripe and all parts of the plant except the ripe fruit contain calcium oxalate crystals. He somehow figured not to eat the scales and smelt the fruit and it smelled great and so he ate a little. His tongue started burning and to some extent his throat. Never any concern beyond that.

The ripe fruit will shed the scales when scraped lightly and the fruit is safe to eat and pretty nutritious.

Nutritive value per 100 g of Monstera Deliciouso
Principle Nutritive value
Fat 1 g
Protein 23 g
Carbohydrates 32 g
Calcium 16 g
Thiamin 0.01 mg
Phosphorus 10 g
Fiber 0.4 g
Vitamin C 60 mg
Calories 10g


The star fruit that everyone was eating is sold in grocery stores with no warnings here in South Florida. But, it contains a neurotoxin that can affect people with kidney problems. This is sometimes, though rarely, fatal.

Anyway, just a reminder to research new fruits or enjoy them with someone that has experience eating them.


Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

The Monstera can be a ground cover or an epiphyte. Here it is growing on a cabbage palm.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.