With the help of its thick aerial roots, it clings to walls, walls and tree trunks, while at the same time displaying its extraordinary foliage, being able to climb several metres and develop quite rapidly.
It can be reproduced by taking cuttings from the nodes or the tips of the stems, which can be placed in water so that they take root sooner, summer being the best time to do this. Under optimum conditions the bushes begin to flower in the third year after planting, and the fruit takes a year to ripen.
It is endemic to American rainforests, from central and southern Mexico to northern Argentina. It has spread to many parts of the world to be cultivated as an ornamental plant, very suitable for large, well-lit interiors.
The young fruit is toxic, as it contains a large amount of oxalic acid, so that if ingested it causes pain, blisters, irritation, itching and even loss of voice. But once ripe it is safe to eat, tasting like a mixture of pineapple and banana.
The rhizome is used in some areas as a traditional medicine to treat flu and rheumatism.
Some very decorative varieties have been derived from the original plant, such as the one that produces green and white leaves, or the one with almost completely white leaves.
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