Scientific name - Sansevieria. Genus name comes from Prince Raimondo di Sangro (1710-1771) of San Severo, born in Naples, Italy. In 1753 Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, including the genus Sansevieria in Aloe. Sansevieria genus was stabilized by Thunberg in 1794 described the second species, S. thyrsiflora and S. aethiopica.

Popular name - snake plant, KWI, ongwehe.

Distribution and Habitat - species originating from Africa, Arabia and India.

Description - contains about 70 species xerophytes herbaceous, succulent, perennial evergreen leaves of 20.3 m high, forming dense clumps of rhizomes or runners. Florile are white-green, ready to blossom type rac-40-90 cm long. The fruit is a red or orange Baca.

Sansevieria aethiopica Thunberg - originally from Ethiopia to southern Africa where it grows under trees and shrubs; rizomatoasa perennial, 70 cm high, forming rosettes of 12-30 leaves erect. Rhizome long, fibrous, brown. Leaves are in bundles every 3, narrow-linear, 35-70 x 1-2 cm and 3.6 mm thick, acuminata, strong and harsh, with bands of horizontal iregulate, edges red.

Sansevieria cylindrica - thick rhizome which is formed rosettes of 3 to 4 leaves cylindrical, each of 60-130 cm x 1,7-3 cm.

Sansevieria trifasciata Praim. - SpeciesE-leaf rizomatoase erection, coriacee, linear, slightly concave, dark green with cross-striated and iregulate green-gray or white. Raceme erect, 40-75 cm long, perianth 2.5-3 cm long, greenish-white, stamens 7-8 mm long. Global Baca, 7-9 mm diameter, orange, 2 seeds, 6-7 mm long, about 5 mm in diameter, creamy-brown.

Tolerances - average sensitivity towards salinity.

Requirements - are demanding thermal modest and grow well at temperatures 15-18 ° C. Temperatures too low, below 7 ° C, can be lethal, maximum temperatures are 25 ° C. They prefer low relative humidity, growing well in dry environments in semi-shade or exhibitions diffused light. Excessive radiation leaves fade and exposure to full shade make ribs of the leaves disappear, becoming dark green uniform. Substrate must be well drained, organically, but not very hard. Compost consists of land perfectlygarden. Earth leaves, garden soil and sand. The wet well once a week during the summer, and once the winter months when plants are dormant. Earth surface should dry between two watering. Warning, do not let water in cavities of the leaves. When the substrate is in excess water, the leaves turn yellow and rot. The substrate is shown a adaus of 0.3 g nitrogen, 0.15 g phosphorus and 0.2 g of potassium. Fertilization is done in 15-20 days with low concentrated liquid fertilizer.

Management - transplanting is late spring, taking care not to hit or scratch the rhizomes. Dispose of diseased leaves.

Propagation - multiply easily by leaf cuttings, of 8-10 cm long, let dry for 24-48 hours. Substrate for copying should be made of peat and sand in the ratio of 1:2 at a temperature of 21 ° C and high humidity. In the seedlingsthey form a scar tissue resulting from these plants. When the new plants have 2-3 leaves of 6-8 cm, after about 6 weeks, can detach and planted separately.

The best time for multiplication is spring or summer.

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii' (cultivar with yellow leaves and white board on the edges), multiply by dividing rhizomes, spring.

Diseases and pests - aroideae Erwinia, Erwinia carotovora, Fusarium moniliforme, Gleosporium sansevieriae, Aspergillus niger, Meloidogyne sp., Pratylenchus sp ..

If leaves show brown spots and begin to mucegaiasca basis is the result of excessive watering. Plant should be removed from the jar and check if it is attacked rhizomes, if so, then you let it dry for a week. Dispose of diseased leaves, treated partscut with a fungicide product, then put in another pot to soak moderate plant carefully.

Cultivars and varieties - S. trifasciata: 'Iwister Sister Stunami', 'Silver Arrow', 'Green Arrow', 'Lorentii Stover's', 'Lorente Green', 'Super Ball', 'Metalica', 'Robusta', 'Eryathriaceae' , 'Pagoda', 'Hahnii Silver Frost', 'Tiger Stripe'.

Partners garden - Gloxynia sylvatica, Ficus elastic.

Properties and Use - Sansevieria aethiopica - in southern Africa roots are used to treat hemorrhoids, diarrhea and abdominal pain trails.

Sansevieria trifasciata is used andn the treatment of venereal diseases, otitis, migraines, seizures.

In Kenya the root decoction of Sansevieria sp. To treat malaria and as a purgative.

An extract from the leaves and flowers of Sansevieria trifasciata has diuretic action.

The ingestion of leaves of Sansevieria trifasciata cause excessive salivatii after ingestion.

May cause dermatitis.

References

Gwen J. Harden - Flora of New South Wales - University of Washington Press, 1990

Hans Dieter Neuwinger - African ethnobotany - Chapman & Hall, 1996

LJG vander Maesen, XM van der Burgt, JM van Medenbach de Rooy - The Biodiversity of African plants - Springer, 1996

Pascal P. Piron - Diseases and pests of ornamental plants - Wiley, 1978

RMT Dahlgren, HT Clifford, PF Yeo - The Families of the Monocotyledons - Springer, 1985

Spoerke, Susan C. Smolinske - Toxicity of Houseplants - CRC, 1990