Sansevieria trifasciata
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 Sansevieria trifasciata in flower | ||||||||||||||
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| Sansevieria trifasciata Prain. | ||||||||||||||
Sansevieria trifasciata is a species of Sansevieria, native to tropical west Africa from Nigeria east to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 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 and uses
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. 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'.
It can be propagated cuttings or by dividing the rhizome. The first method has the disadvantage that the variegation is likely to be lost. 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.
