An additional relevant line of evidence is the range of climatic tolerance
in Monstera. Although strictly tropical in natural distribution, M. deliciosa, M. adansonii, and Epipremnum aureum grow vigorously, flower,
and set fruit in central Florida where they are annually exposed to frost.
This moderate cold-hardiness, coupled with a degree of drought tolerance,
suggests that M onstera species could have survived periods of unfavorable climate in the late Paleogene followed by diversification and
dispersal into South America in the Neogene.