Page 12 - FEB2020

indigenous

SANSEVIERIAS/ Mother-in-law’s Tongue
Love them, or hate them, these plants are extremely easy to grow, drought tolerant, with
interesting leaf colours and are almost completely maintenance free. Many do well in
shady situations, and make excellent house plants, as the plants absorb carbon dioxide at
night, which purportedly makes them especially suitable to indoor environments. They are
also tolerant of irregular watering.

Sansevierias are flowering plants, native to Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia.
Two species are indigenous to Botswana, S. aethiopica and S. pearsonii, but are not
commonly found in gardens, although they do very well, with pretty scented flowers in
summer that attract insects and birds to your garden. Sansevieria cylindrica, native to
Angola, is a particularly lovely architectural addition in the garden. Other ‘Mother-in-law’s
tongue’ plants commonly found in Botswana, are hybrids of Sansevieria trifasciata -
‘Laurentii’, with striking yellow and green leaves; ‘Moonshine’ a gorgeous grey; and
‘Hahnii’, a dwarfed cultivar. These plants can overtake an area quite quickly, so some
maintenance is needed to keep the spread of these plants in check. Propagate by division.
As these plants only need a weekly watering at most, group them together with other
dry-loving species, and enjoy. Text & Photos: by S C

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