In its native habitat from Mexico to Panama, the Swiss cheese plant will scramble up the trunks and along the branches of large trees, anchoring itself by means of strong aerial roots, which also take in moisture and nutrients. It matures into a large plant with heart-shaped leaves, up to 18 in. (45 cm) across, on 1 ft. (50 cm) stalks.

The common name arises from the leaves, which are undivided on a young plant, but which gradu­ally become deeply incised between the veins, with holes in the remain­ing sections.

Size: Height 10 ft. (3 m) or more.

Light: Indirect sunlight.

Temperature: Normal room.

Moisture: Keep barely moist all year round.

Feeding: Apply standard liquid fertil­izer once a month from spring through to fall.

Propagation: Take tip cuttings with two leaves in spring, or stem cuttings of a single node with a short length of stem. Alternatively, layer or air-layer.

Special needs: Train the stem against a moss pole — this will allow the aer­ial roots to anchor and take in mois­ture in the same way that they would in the wild.