Snake Plant Zeylanica

Snake plants are native to arid and desert regions across Africa and South Asia. The botanist Carl Thunberg, a pupil of Linnaeus, first took a specimen back to Europe in 1794. It gets its Latin name "Sansevieria" after the nobleman Raimondo di Sangro, who was from Sansevero in Italy. Since the mid-2000s, the snake plant has shot to fame due to its popularity as a houseplant and on NASA spaceships.

Snake plants are famed for the ability to tolerate neglect and a wide range of growing conditions. This has made them a popular houseplant but their slow growing habit has meant that only a limited number of species has made it to commercial cultivation. In their native arid habitats, they often grow together in clumps and look similar to agave other desert plants. Another characteristic they share is the production of oxygen during the nightime as they have a photosynthesis process called crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM).

Snake plants are generally regarded as one of the easiest plants to look after. They can adapt to a range of light conditions from light shade to full sun, but will do best in bright indirect light. As succulents plants they store water in their leaves so they have drought tolerance, that is why it is best to wait until the soil has almost fully dried out before watering. Make sure they are planted in well draining soil, and always err on the side of caution when watering as the one thing they really do not like is being overwatered and sitting in water.

Until 2017 all snake plants were in the Sansevieria family, but were then recategorised into the Dracaena family.

If ingested this plant can be toxic or poisonous so keep away from dogs, cats or other pets and small children.

Saint George's Sword; Mother-in-law's Tongue; Viper's Bowstring Hemp; Dracaena trifasciata