If you search on the internet, you will find plenty of websites discussing the differences between “Monstera borsigiana” and Monstera deliciosa. Some treat it as a species (Monstera borsigiana), and some treat it as a variety (Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana), but which one is correct?
First, let’s trace the origin.
Who is the “borsigina” named after?
If you are palm fans, you might have heard of “Phoenicophorium borsigianum“, or more commonly known as “thief palm”, because it was stolen from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Who stole it?
There is no sound proof of the thief, but the plant showed up in the private collection of August Borsig. (Don’t worry, he is not our guy.) The botanist who named the plant, Stuntz, definitely showed some strong opinion because he literally named the plant “pinnate leafed palm stolen Borsig“: the first half of the genus name, “phoenico”, is derived from “phoenix”, referring to the pinnate leaves of the plant; the second half of the genus name, “phorium”, is derived from a Greek word which means “stolen”; and the species name, of course, is named after August Borsig. Is it “pinnate leafed palm stolen [by] Borsig” or “pinnate leafed palm stolen [in memory of] Borsig”? I don’t know. What I do know is nobody wants to have their names immortalized after the word “stolen.” Granted, the species name “borsigianum” was used by the first botanist who tried to name the plant, K. Koch. Stuntz simply kept the same species name. However, K. Koch did not add a suffix that means “thief” to the genus name right in front of the species name “borsigianum.”
Albeit August Borsig’s debatable moral characteristics, he was a successful businessman. Born as a son of a carpenter, he founded one of Germany’s principal engineering companies. Like many rich people at his time, he also developed a hobby of collecting exotic and rare plants. At the time of his death, he left his business empire, his personal fortune of of 7 million Prussian thalers (equivalent of $170,626,875 in today’s currency) and his pricy plant collections, all to his son Albert Borsig. (This is our guy.)
Albert Borsig, not only expanded his father’s business, but also his botanical collections. “Monstera borsigiana“, in fact, was first used to describe a plant cultivated by Albert Borsig. (So the father immortalized the family name to a stolen palm, and the son immortalized the family name to one of the most popular plants today.)
Jumping through time, what did botanists find?
As we all know, it is common for botanical names to change throughout history. In a recently published paper, Marco Cedeño Fonseca (the botanist who has taken the task of revising the entire Monstera genus according to Mick Mitty) explained how botanists were confused too:
- In 1862, German botanist Karl Koch first described a plant collected in Veracruz, Mexico as Monstera borsigiana. (Yes, that one cultivated in Albert Borsig’s greenhouse.)
- In 1879, German botanist Adolf Engler said Monstera borsigiana has been confused with Monstera deliciosa in cultivation. Engler described Monstera borsigiana having narrower, high-climbing stems, smooth petioles, smaller leaf blades with fewer perforations, and slightly smaller flowers/inflorescences. (Sounds familiar! Although, I noticed there is no mention of the difference on geniculum – where a leaf meets the stalk/stem.)
- Between 1882-1886, English botanist William Hemsley mentioned he can’t tell the difference between Monstera borsigiana from Monstera deliciosa. (He is not alone, neither can I).
- In 1908, German botanists Adolf Engler and Kurt Krause downgraded Monstera borsigiana from a species to a variety, i.e., Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana.
- In 1965, American botanist George Bunting described a plant collected from Sierra de Juárez in Oaxaca, Mexico as Monstera deliciosa var. sierrana, which has small and deeply pinnatifid leaves, narrow and rib-like segments, barely-winged geniculum, and a smaller spadix. Bunting thought Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana was the same as Monstera deliciosa var. sierrana but with less vigorous growth.
- In 1977, American botanist Michael Madison, in his famous taxonomic revision, downgraded Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana again. Madison thought Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana was not worthy to be recognized as a variety (😂) and considered it a smaller clone of Monstera deliciosa (along with Monstera deliciosa var. sierrana, which is now recognized as a variety, and Monstera tacanaensis, which is now a separate species. So, Madison is not always right, just saying).
- Because Madison’s iconic work, most botanists have followed his lead and consider it a smaller clone of Monstera deliciosa. Horticulturists, however, have continued calling it Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana and Monstera borsigiana (basically whatever they want).
The final conclusion?
Today, scientists and botanists consider this plant one of the variations of Monstera deliciosa. Kew lists it as Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana and a synonym for Monstera deliciosa Liebm. So it has been settled…for now.
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Now, do you know what to call this plant 🤪?
A Little Extra Info:
“Palms” are still being “stolen: today: https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/illegal-cycad-trade-plant-crime
