purple and white flower bud

Monstera deliciosa's inflorescence. This structure is not a single "flower": the protective white "petal" is really a modified leaf called a spathe, and that central "spike", the spadix, is home to a whole cluster of tiny flowers. The inflorescence is often the most important part needed to properly identify a plant because leaf morphology (shape) can be misleading: leaf form can change drastically as a plant matures and they can even vary a lot between members of the same species. Taken at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Florida during the International Aroid Society show, 2016.