Swiss cheese plant vs Tree philodendron

Monstera deliciosa · Philodendron bipinnatifidum

Mature size: Swiss cheese plant reaches about 120 inches; Tree philodendron tops out near 96. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Why these two get mixed up

Both are sold as "split-leaf philodendron". That is not a nickname problem — a plant labelled split-leaf philodendron in a shop could be either of these, and they want different things.

Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa) — **Swiss cheese plant** — Monstera deliciosa. Photograph by Wikimedia Commons contributor, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.

Tree philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum) — **Tree philodendron** — Philodendron bipinnatifidum. Photograph by VSA.bing, Wikimedia Commons , Public domain.

	Swiss cheese plant	Tree philodendron
Scientific name	Monstera deliciosa	Philodendron bipinnatifidum
Family	Araceae	Araceae
Light floor	Medium	Medium
Water	7–10 days	7–12 days
Humidity floor	40%	45%
Mature height	72–120 in	36–96 in
Habit	climbing	spreading
Growth rate	fast	moderate
Difficulty	Easy	Easy
Toxic to pets	Yes	Yes
Typical price	$20–60	$25–90

Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.

The differences that matter

Mature size

Swiss cheese plant reaches about 120 inches; Tree philodendron tops out near 96. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Habit

Swiss cheese plant grows climbing; Tree philodendron grows spreading. That decides where each one physically works.

Which should you buy?

In a dim room, take either — both have a medium light floor.
If you forget to water, take either.
If it is your first plant, take either — both score 2 of 5.
For a small shelf, take Tree philodendron, which stops around 96 inches.

Full entries

Swiss cheese plant — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Tree philodendron — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Monstera deliciosa and Philodendron bipinnatifidum — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Monstera deliciosa and Philodendron bipinnatifidum
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf we have no field for. How this is sourced.