Sansevieria trifasciata

Sansevieria trifasciata subsp. var.
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	Dracaenaceae > Sansevieria trifasciata var. , Prain.

Sansevieria trifasciata is a species of Sansevieria, native to tropical west Africa. It is commonly called the snake plant, because of the shape of its leaves, or mother-in-law's tongue because of their sharpness.

It is an evergreen herbaceous perennial plant forming dense stands, spreading by way of its creeping rhizome, which is sometimes above ground, sometimes underground. Its stiff leaves grow vertically from a basal rosette. Mature leaves are dark green with light gray-green cross-banding and usually range between 70–90 cm in length and 5–6 cm in width.

Cultivation

Like some other members of its genus, S. trifasciata yields bowstring hemp, a strong plant fiber once used to make bowstrings.

It is now used predominantly as an ornamental plant, outdoors in warmer climates, and indoors as a houseplant in cooler climates. It is popular as a houseplant as it is tolerant of low light levels and irregular watering; during winter it needs only one watering every couple of months. It will rot easily if overwatered.

It is also often used as an air filtering plant because it has a tendency to absorb certain poisonous substances.

S. trifasciata is currently considered a weed in Australia.

Propagation

It can be propagated cuttings or by dividing the rhizome. The first method has the disadvantage that the variegation is likely to be lost.

Varieties

Numerous cultivars have been selected, many of them for variegated foliage with yellow or silvery-white stripes on the leaf margins. Popular cultivars include 'Compacta', 'Goldiana', 'Hahnii', 'Laurentii', 'Silbersee', and 'Silver Hahnii'.

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Sansevieria trifasciata. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Sansevieria trifasciata QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)