Costa Farms

Tuesday, November 15, 2022 Houseplants, Trending Tropicals®

Cobra Monstera: Ticking All the Boxes

What are the plant characteristics that tick your boxes? Mine are variegated leaves (my plant collection looks like I’m holding a Rorschach test competition). And I’m partial to climbing varieties because I have a large shaded porch where climbers can really spread out. (I also love the jungle look…) Which leads me to a new favorite in my collection: Monstera Cobra (aka Monstera standleyana Albo-Variegata), the newest member of the coveted Trending Tropicals® houseplant collection. 

The beauty of the irregular
I love patterns in leaves, and I’m loving the way that Cobra’s oval leaves are streaked and splashed with creamy white in an unexpected way. Some leaves sport big chunks of white and others have less markings. It’s a cool contrast.

Up, down, and sideways
And Monstera Cobra also fulfills my love of climbing and trailing plants. The vines are slender and delicate. Cobra can be grown in a basket where it will tendril downwards. Or it is equally game to scramble up a pole, totem, or trellis. But it can be tamed from soaring by trimming it up to keep it full and bushy, making it an ideal table top plant in a living room, bathroom, or kitchen.

Easy-care elegance
This beauty is also easy care. If you have other monsteras (such as Monstera deliciosa), you already have the plant-raising skills sets to be successful with Cobra. Our Horticulturist Justin gives Cobra high marks for durability. “It's a pretty durable indoor plant that will tolerate a wide range of environments,” he says. "much like Baltic Blue Pothos, Global Green Pothos, and Philodendron squamiferum." 

Light, water, humidity
Cobra excels in medium to bright light. If you can set it within 3 feet or so of an unobstructed east- or west-facing window, Cobra will be giddy with happiness. It tolerates lower light levels (just like its cousin Monstera deliciosa), but it grows slower and may stretch out more, having longer stems between the leaves. It’s not a particularly thirsty plant. It can easily survive a couple of weeks without water. But as all plants who have moderate watering need, Cobra grows best when watered as the top couple of inches of the potting mix dry to the touch. If there’s a question, keep it on the dry side. It prefers that to overwatering. Justin says “Like all tropical plants (Cobra is native to Southeast Asia), it is happiest with average to above-average relative humidity levels (40% or more).” 

Buy yours now from our online plant shop! 

plant library    get growing