Snake plant (
Sansevieria trifasciata) is a species of evergreen, stemless, rhizomatous perennial in the family Agavaceae. It is known as snake plant because of the shape of the leaves, or mother-in-law's tongue because of the leaves' sharpness.
Snake plant, 45 cm -1.2 m tall, has a rosette of about 5 lance-shaped, pointed, stiff, fleshy erect leaves, banded horizontally with pale green and yellow. It occasionally bears racemes of tubular, 6-lobed, green flowers.
Snake plant is used primarily as an ornamental plant, outdoors in warmer climates, and indoor plant in cooler climates. It can tolerate low light, and irregular watering. However the plant will rot easily if over-watered.
Variegated cultivars are popular houseplants, with yellow or silvery -white stripes on the leaf margins. Propagation is by cuttings or division of the rhizomes.
Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)Author:
Forest & Kim Starr (
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)