Botanical name

Sansevieria pearsonii

Other names

Spiky mother-in-law's tongue; elephant's toothpick; gemsbokhoring

Family

Asparagaceae, previously Dracaenaceae and Liliaceae

Dimensions

Tufts of fan-shaped, spiky leaves, usually about 70 cm high

Description of stem

Leaves emerge directly from the rhizome

Description of leaves

Erect and rigid, pale green, cylindrical and grooved or ribbed with a sharp spiny tip

Description of flowers

Pale creamy tubes in a sturdy straight raceme up to 1 m tall, occurring in winter to spring

Description of seed/fruit

 

Description of roots

A creeping rhizome, causing the plant to spread and cover a few square meters in a spaced colony

Variation

 

 

 

Propagation and cultivation

A cutting with a piece of rhizome or divided rhizomes; low watering in a sandy spot; keep dry in winter; also grown from seed

Tolerances

Not very frost resistant; semi-hardy

Uses

An ornamental plant for xeriscaped gardens; there is a report of weaving ropes from the strong leaf fibers

Ecological rarity

Not threatened

Pests and diseases

 

Other

There exists or existed a journal by the name: Sansevieria (http://osdir.com)

Location

Dry bushveld areas, often found in barren looking places

Distribution (SA provinces)

Mpumalanga, Limpopo

Country

South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola