Sansevieria – The Snake Plant A Durable Houseplant

SANSEVIERIA (san-se-vi-ee’-ri-ah) – A genus of perennial herbs with stiff, very thick leaves, often mottled with white, and clustered flowers on slender stalks.

Members of the Lily Family, and popularly known as Snake-plants or Bowstring-hemp. In the North they are grown as house or porch plants, requiring little sun and doing best in a rather heavy soil. They are grown as garden subjects in the South.

Propagation is by division or by leaf-cuttings set in sand which send out shoots which root and develop into new plants. When grown indoors the leaves should be washed frequently with warm soapy water and then sponged off with clear water.

The species most frequently seen are: Sansevieria zeylanica, 2 1/2 ft., from Ceylon, with hollowed leaves banded across with white ; and Sansevieria trifasciata var. laurenti, from Africa, whose leaves are striped creamy-yellow, lengthwise.

Fusarium leaf spot appears as roundish, sunken, reddish-brown lesions with yellow borders. Destroy diseased leaves and use care in watering to prevent splashing spores about.

Sansevieria Moonshine

Sansevieria Moonshine has broad light silvery gray-green foliage which forms a vase-like look and is relatively new cultivar to the Sansevieria and house plant world.

Plants in deep shade or lower light may have darker leaves. Easy to grow house plant. Excellent as a starter plant and for those who have difficulty caring for indoor plants.

Sansevieria Cylindrica

Sansevieria cylindrica, a native to Angola, also known as the Cylindrical Snake Plant, African Spear or Spear Sansevieria is a succulent plant that is used as an ornamental plant because of its unique features. It is a fan shape plant but some gardeners have experimented with braiding.

Sansevieria cylindrica is a low-maintenance house plant and very versatile plant. It is a drought-tolerant and thrives best with little water. They can only be watered once or twice a month or less often if used indoors as a houseplant.

Sansevieria Black Gold

Sansevieria Black Gold is one of the many selected varieties of Sansevierias. It looks like a trifasciata but not as tall. Its a leaf can grow to about 60.32 cm with a width of 6.98 cm.  These leaves are flat, wavy, full, and are mottled with yellow margins.

Sansevieria Black Gold is a favorite of gardeners for patioscaping, because it can tolerate neglect; thus, it is also called as a bulletproof plant – pests do not like Sansevieria.  It grows in high light, in shade; practically, everywhere. It can tolerate low feeding, low water, and low humidity. Its dramatic color coupled with its fabulous spreading and growing make it a perfect accent plant when accompanied with an attractive decorative container.

Sansevieria Parva

A stiff, heavy plant with narrow, curved leaves are arranged in a rosette, basically bright green marked with darker green, and cylindrical for the last three of their eighteen inches. The plant sends out runners that hang down to two feet and produce new plants at the tip.

Questions & Answers On Sansevieria

Question: I have a pot of sansevieria that has so many young ones coming up that the plants are very crowded. When is the best time to transplant some of these into another container?

Answer: Sansevierias may be divided at any time during the year, and each division will soon grow into a nice plant. Dump the plant out of the pot, break it up as much as you want and plant each. The plants grow actively during the summer, so spring is the best time to divide the plant to obtain quick results.

Question: Tell me how to start another snake plant or sansevieria? I’ve tried rooting leaves in water, but this method doesn’t seem to work.

Answer: The common variety of sansevieria will root readily from leaf cuttings. Cut a leaf into four-inch sections and plant each in sandy soil, one inch deep. Firm the soil so that the leaf will not fall over when watered. Water sparingly and keep the cuttings in a warm light place. Each piece of leaf will produce a new plant.

The sansevieria with the yellow margin on the leaf is propagated only by division, each piece with roots will soon produce a new one. If the leaves with yellow margins are used as leaf cuttings, the plant, if it grows, will revert back to the green leaf and lose its yellow margins. Sansevieria cuttings in water get too much moisture and decay.

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