Sansevieria are amongst my favourite plants. Not all are Mother in Laws Tongues they come in all shapes and sizes to suit any location from the brightest to shadiest positions. Bellow are a few of the 200 Sansevierias species and cultivars that I grow.
If you want to use any of the pictures on these pages just ask so I can keep track. If you want them for publication then you will need my permission no problem again just ask. Others have and some of my photographs have been published all I ask here is an acknowledgement.
Reportedly found by Morgenstern in a nursery in the town of Voorschoten, Holland.
Forescate is the Latin name for Voorschoten. If your interested how this can be, note that in Dutch the "V" at the beginning of a word is pronounced almost as the "f" and Dutch (unlike German) is pronounced "sch" separately as two sounds "s" and "ch". The latter is pronounced like the Scottish "ch" in Loch. So as the latter sound does not exist in Latin , it is rendered as a "c" or "k", thus giving Fores-cate.
Thanks to Juan Chahinian for this history.
The question I am most asked about 'Forescate' other than where can I get one is, "Why won't mine produce the variegated leaves as those in the picture, it only produces plain green leaves. Do I cut these off"?
As you can see in fig.1 the usual variegation on 'Forescate' and in Fig.2 a new offset coming through showing a juvenile leaf. The leaves start out generally a plain dark green up to 6-8" long as in fig.3 they then slowly start to show striations as in fig.4., these striations now start to thicken out until you get the beautiful leaves. So don't cut out those leaves, leave them on, so far I have not had any reversion on this plant.
'Forescate' flowers easily the long flower spike around 18"-24" long Fig 5 showing the flower buds and fig.6 showing the flowers. They also set seed(above middle) easily although the seed appears to be sterile as I know of no one who has managed to get the seed to germinate. I try on each occasion just in case.
Propagation is best by division or root cuttings.
These need to be watered very carefully otherwise you will get brown markings on the leaves as you can see in fig.6. It also needs good bright light as do most variegated Sansevieria.
This plant is slow until you get a good pot full away, even then do not take too many cuttings from it.
Not the easiest of Sansevieria to grow well nor indeed easy to find, hence the high price this plant can command.
This is one of the smaller Sansevieria, the leaves are up to 6" tall and keeled in some ways it resembles a dwarf zeylanica. It is synonymous with S. subspicata. The plants in cultivation are probably a dwarf form of Sansevieria zeylanica including this one, as there is some doubt over its authenticity.
This is the first Sansevieria that I obtained about five years ago (1993). I have managed to train this one into a 9 inch pan, and trying to keep it together. Otherwise it grows everywhere and can get out of control. It makes a nice big plant now though it does not flower very often maybe it requires more light than I give it.
Previously known as Sansevieria sp. 'Baseball Bat’ or ‘Blue Bat’ and described as Sansevieria hallii by Juan Chahinian.
The leaves are stemless, usually 1-3 and have a rough surface up to 60 cm long, erect, recurved backwards, dark grey-green, a round channel which runs the full length of the leaf.
Comes from Eastern Zimbabwe the Type location Birchenough Bridge, Zimbabwe.
Distribution: The flat plains of Northern Kenya the type location is Bura NE. Kenya
Description: First discovered and named by Peter Bally 1964. Has the appearance of a small Agave at first glance. With its thick, fat hemicylindrical, bloom-covered leaves. The leaf colour can vary from a pale green to beautiful blue. The leaves are tipped with a very hard light brown and lethal spine. It offsets by above ground branches which terminate in new plantlets which are carried above the ground on stilt-like roots. It appears to be walking hence the common name of "Walking Sansevieria".
S.pinguicula is the toughest and most fibrous of any Sansevieria. It also has the thickest cuticle and the most deeply sunken stomata.
Cultivation: Needs a very open free draining compost and be quite frugal with the watering. This is a slow growing species and may take two or three years before it sends out new plants. A mature plant will be about a foot across.
This Sansevieria was found at the gates to Tsavo East National Park November 1998. They appeared not to have had any water for quite some time and were very dehydrated, making identification difficult. Though I think they are Sansevieria hyacinthoides.. Found growing in full sun and under some trees these were in even worse condition.
This must be the most beautiful of all the Sansevieria, and there are so many forms of this plant around from dwarf to absolute monsters. The leaves can be a dark green with cream mottlings with a rose cast to a real Metallic cooper colour all with cream, green or both mottlings. The one in the photo has a leaf colour which is a dark turquoise mottled with cream the longest leaf to date is a little over 2 foot. The flowers start out as a small bud which gets bigger each day then explodes into flower. The flower has a definite cocoa odour, it is not strong or overpowering as in some of the Sansevieria. In order to smell this one you have to almost put you nose into the flower. It is faint but it definitely has the odour of cocoa.
So far as it is known Sansevieria eilensis only comes from one small area in Somalia. Eyl Pass 4Km.NNW of Eyl, growing in shattered Limestone
The plant in the picture is in the Huntington collection the picture was taken April 1999.
This Sansevieria came from the Endangered Species Nursery of Hermine Stover. The plant has until recently never flowered for me. This year (October 2002) it decided to flower. The flower spike was 82mm long from the compost to the top of the inflorescence (flowers 50-53mm long). The flower tubes are light green and the petals are light green going to a satiny white
The flowers opened in pairs side by side and stay open for about 24 hours then start to wilt. When the flowers have fallen the next pair of flowers start to develop.
The leaves are up to 70cm long and from 5-7cm wide at the widest. Green on top and slightly mottled lighter underneath. Smooth, slightly waxy to the touch leaves are edged mahogany reddish-brown.
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Click on the righ thumnail to see more pictures.
Ref. H. Stover The Sansevieria Book
J. Chahinian The Sansevieria journal
Euphorbia journal Vol.6 &7
If you are interested in joining the Sansevieria discussion group click on the link bellow and follow the prompts. The group is run by Diana Pederson,Hermine Stover and myself. It is both light hearted and a very friendly group one I obviously wholeheartedly recommend. You will be made most welcome.
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