Sansevieria
Habit | cacti-succulent
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Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
Exposure: | ☼ | part-sun, shade |
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Water: | ◍ | moderate, dry |
Features: | ✓ | evergreen, foliage, houseplant |
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Sansevieria, whose common names include: mother-in-law's tongue, devil's tongue, jinn's tongue, and snake plant, is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants in the family Ruscaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World.[1]
They are xerophytic herbaceous to shrubby succulent perennial plants with evergreen strap-shaped leaves, growing to 20 cm to 3 m tall, often forming dense clumps from a spreading rhizome or stolons. The flowers are greenish-white, produced on a simple or branched raceme 40–90 cm long. The fruit is a red or orange berry.
Several species are popular houseplants in temperate regions, with Sansevieria trifasciata the most widely sold; numerous cultivars are available. The Chinese usually keep this plant potted in a pot often ornated with dragons and phoenixes[2]. Growth is comparatively slow and the plant will last for many years. The tall-growing plants have stiff, erect, lance-shaped leaves while the dwarf plants grow in rosettes. As houseplants, Sansevieria thrive on warmth and bright light, but will also tolerate shade. Sansevieria can rot from over-watering, so it is important that they are potted in well-drained soil, and not over-watered.
Another beautiful species is Sansevieria cylindrica which has leaves which look quite different from the "traditional" Sansevieria genus, but equally tough.
Air Purification
Like the Epipremnum aureum (Golden Pothos) and Dracaena fragrans (corn plant), Sansevieria is believed to act as good air purifiers by removing toxins (such as formaldehyde, xylene and toluene[3]) from the air, thereby gaining a reputation as a good cure for the "Sick Building Syndrome"[4][5][6]. Some reports seem to suggest that Sansevieria produces oxygen at night which makes it suitable as a plant to be placed in the bedroom[7].
ExpandRead about Sansevieria in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Cultivation
Propagation
Pests and diseases
Species
Sansevieria cylindrica
Sansevieria ehrenbergii
Sansevieria hyacinthoides
Sansevieria trifasciata
Gallery
References
- ↑ Mbugua, P. K.; D. M. Moore. "Taxonomic studies of the genus Sansevieria (Dracaenaceae)". in L. J. G. van der Maesen, M. van der Burgt, J. M. van Medenbach de Rooy, editors (hardcover). The Biodiversity of African Plants (1st ed.). p. 880.
- ↑ http://www.about-garden.com/a/en/1919-sansevieria-trifasciata-snake-plant
- ↑ http://www.plantcare.com/encyclopedia/variegated-snake-plant-1138.aspx
- ↑ http://www.about-garden.com/a/en/1919-sansevieria-trifasciata-snake-plant
- ↑ http://www.zone10.com/nasa-study-house-plants-clean-air.html
- ↑ http://news.softpedia.com/news/Top-15-NASA-039-s-Plants-That-Can-Save-Your-Life-78345.shtml
- ↑ http://www.bangkokpost.com/life/family/25863/clearing-the-air
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Sansevieria. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Sansevieria QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)