SANSEVIERIA TRIFASCIATA: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, VARIETIES, CARE - BIOLOGY - 2024

The Sansevieria trifasciata species is a perennial herbaceous plant with long lanceolate leaves that belongs to the Asparagaceae family. Popularly known as the sword of St. George, mother-in-law's tongue, cow's tongue, tiger's tongue or tiger's tail, it is a native species of equatorial Africa.

It is a herbaceous, vivacious and rhizomatous plant with characteristic lanceolate, fleshy and acuminate evergreen leaves. They are generally dark-green in color with horizontal streaks of grayish tones, or only green in color with yellowish margins.

Sansevieria trifasciata. Source: Mokkie

Its growth extends along a network of rhizomes that emit shoots or rosettes of vertical leaves that reach more than 1 m in height. In fact, it is an easy species to grow that adapts to various types of soil and environmental conditions, with the exception of cold climates and recurring frosts.

Yellow dock is par excellence an ornamental plant due to its great ability to purify indoor environments. It is used as a biological insecticide or to obtain natural fibers. In traditional medicine it is used for its antiallergic, analgesic and antipyretic effects.

General characteristics

Appearance

Rhizomatous plant formed by an acaule rosette from which long lanceolate leaves emerge, reaching 50 to 120 cm in height. The short and generally underground stem functions as a storage organ, accumulating water and nutrients, similar to a rhizome with leaf buds and apical meristem.

Leaves

The erect leaves develop from a basal rosette in groups of 2-6 fibrous, rigid, lanceolate, acuminate and slightly fleshy leaflets. They are 50-150 cm high by 5-10 cm wide, entire margins, glossy dark-green color with grayish transverse bands or yellow margins.

Detail of the leaves of Sansevieria trifasciata. Source: Photo by and (c) 2006 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man). Location credit to the Chanticleer Garden.

flowers

The inflorescences of racemose appearance sometimes branched 45-85 cm long appear occasionally. The tubular flowers, 15-25 mm long and greenish-white in color, present 5-10 bundles grouped forming linear lobes.

Fruit

The fruit is a small berry with a fleshy pericarp and a bright orange color that remains attached to the flower stalk. Inside there are 1-3 spherical seeds of 4-6 mm diameter and brown color.

Chemical composition

In phytochemical analysis of its leaves, it has determined the significant presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, carbohydrates, flavonoids, phenols, proteins, saponins, steroidal sapogenins, tannins and glucoside terpenoids. Similarly, rhizomes contain alkaloids, sterols, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, tannins and triterpenes.

Taxonomy

- Kingdom: Plantae

- Division: Magnoliophyta

- Order: Asparagales

- Family: Asparagaceae

- Subfamily: Nolinoideae

- Genus: Sansevieria

- Species: Sansevieria trifasciata Prain 1903.

Etymology

- Sansevieria: the name of the genus was established by the Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg who initially described it in honor of the Neapolitan inventor Raimondo di Sangro, seventh prince of Sansevero.

- trifasciata: the specific adjective in Latin means "three packages or groups".

Synonymy

- Sansevieria craigii auct.

- Sansevieria jacquinii NE Br.

- S. laurentii De Wild.

- S. trifasciata var. laurentii (De Wild.) NE Br.

- Sansevieria zeylanica var. laurentii (From Wild.) LH Bailey

Inflorescences of Sansevieria trifasciata. Source: Peter A. Mansfeld

Habitat and distribution

The Sansevieria trifasciata species is native to the western region of the African continent, between Angola, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, today its cultivation has spread around the world due to the ease of propagation, ornamental use and therapeutic properties.

In the wild it is found as a weed plant on the side of carts and roads, abandoned gardens, fallow land or intervened land. Also, in closed forests, understory or littoral vegetation in regions with a tropical, subtropical or warm-temperate climate.

It is a species very resistant to hot and dry climates, but sensitive to low temperatures and occasional frosts. It grows in fully shaded or half-shaded environments, at full sun exposure the leaves tend to acquire a yellowish hue and finally wilt.

It requires dry environments and well-drained soils, it tolerates humid environments as long as there is no waterlogging of the land. Its cultivation adapts to various edaphoclimatic conditions. It is a fast growing plant and is considered a cosmopolitan ornamental.

Fruits of Sansevieria trifasciata. Source: Mokkie

Properties

Medicinal properties

The presence of various secondary metabolites in leaves and rhizomes provide it with various medicinal and therapeutic properties. The regular intake of decoctions of Sansevieria trifasciata acts as an analgesic, antiallergic, antibacterial, antidiabetic, anthelmintic and antipyretic.

Clinical studies have confirmed its effect as an anti-inflammatory tonic for the liver and spleen, both in infants and adults. Despite its bitter taste, the juice obtained from pressing its leaves is odorless.

It is recommended to take the juice of the leaves slightly diluted in water 1-3 times during the day by mouth. Similarly, you can prepare a tea with a piece of fresh leaf and consume 1-2 cups a day.

Topically, the juice extracted from the leaves is used to treat fungal diseases on the skin, such as ringworm caused by dermatophyte fungi. Likewise, the sap from its leaves is applied to wounds, scrapes or ulcers on the skin as a disinfectant to eliminate infections caused by bacteria and fungi.

Other uses

- It is considered an excellent purification plant improving the quality of the air in closed rooms. Indeed, it has the property of passively absorbing different toxins from the environment, such as formaldehyde, toluene, trichlorethylene and xylene.

- Moreover, it acts as a carbon dioxide absorption mechanism in homes, offices and living rooms. In fact, it has the ability to transform carbon dioxide into oxygen overnight, which is why it is highly recommended as a houseplant.

- According to the Chinese philosophy of feng shui, the Sansevieria trifasciata is an ideal plant to attract good luck to the home and discard bad vibes. For this reason, it is recommended to locate a pot with a group of healthy and vigorous plants near the main entrance of the home.

- Yellow dock is considered a potential insecticide. The preparation of an organic insecticide based on this plant is more economical, effective and safe than the application of carbamate insecticides.

- The leaves are a rich natural and renewable source of high quality plant fiber. Indeed, this type of fiber is very resistant and of low elongation, ideal for the manufacture of ropes, bags, bags, mats and textile crafts.

Commercial culture of Sansevieria trifasciata. Source: Mokkie

Varieties

- Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii: the lanceolate leaves can reach 120 cm in height. They are generally grayish-green in color with yellow or yellowish-green stripes along the edges.

- Sansevieria trifasciata hahnii: its small and broad leaves grow in the form of a rosette, reaching only 12-15 cm high. They are known as "bird nests" and are dark green with various shades of light green in horizontal stripes.

- Sansevieria trifasciata golden hahnii: characterized by its short, wide leaves with a pointed apex, measuring 10-12 cm in length. Green in the center with yellow longitudinal stripes on the margins.

Care

Location

Outdoor cultivation, such as gardens or roadsides, requires semi-shade so that the leaves do not wilt in full sun exposure. The important thing is to locate in areas protected from direct sunlight, but with a wide range of daylight hours.

Substratum

Grown in the field, it is an undemanding plant in terms of soil quality, planted in pots, it requires a firm substrate that supports its structure. Indeed, it develops on fertile soils, with a loam-sandy or loam-clay texture and with good drainage.

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Hahnii'. Source: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz

Temperature

The ideal temperature for growing yellow dock, indoors and outdoors, is between 16-32 ºC, being sensitive to values ​​below 14 ºC. It is a crop that adapts to hot climates so it resists summer stress, on the contrary, freezing environments affect its development.

Irrigation

The rhizome and leaf tissues are succulent, they act as moisture storage organs, making it a drought tolerant plant. In fact, excess moisture can lead to root rot. It is recommended to water only when the soil or substrate is dry.

Fertilization

It is a rustic crop with low nutritional requirements, however, periodic applications of organic fertilizers favor its growth and development. It is advisable to make monthly applications of composted plant material or worm humus both in planters and in pots.

Pruning

It is advisable only sanitation pruning when the leaves are wilting or are infected by some type of disease. Similarly, when the rhizomes grow too large and the plants spread too much, it is convenient to prune the rhizomes and use them for propagation work.

Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii. Source: Forest & Kim Starr

Diseases

Anthracnose (

Gloeosporium sansevieria is a soil fungus that affects plants when high levels of substrate moisture are present. Symptoms appear as dark brown spots along the leaves.

Fusariums (

The main symptoms of fusariosis appear as brownish spots with yellowish margins. Indeed, its incidence can cause the total wilting of the plant.

Powdery mildew (

Oidium infection occurs in adult plants as brown spots on the margins of the leaves. In general, they occur in hot and dry environments, on the affected tissues a gray powder is observed, which is the mycelium of the fungus.

Bacterial rot (

Neck rot is a bacterial disease that causes softening and subsequent rotting of tissues at ground level. It occurs in soils or substrates flooded by excess irrigation. It is recommended to destroy affected plants to prevent the spread of the disease.

References

1. Stuart Jr, GU MD (2019). Tiger: Sansevieria trifasciata Prain. Philippine Alternative Medicine. Recovered at: stuartxchange.org
2. Sansevieria trifasciata. (2020). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered at: es.wikipedia.org
3. Sansevieria trifasciata Prain (2016) Identic Pty Ltd. Special edition of Environmental Weeds of Australia for Biosecurity Queensland. Recovered at: keyserver.lucidcentral.org
4. Sansevieria (2018) Elicriso. Recovered in: elicriso.it
5. Sánchez, J. (2019) Caring for the Sansevieria trifasciata. Green ecology. Recovered in: ecologiaverde.com
6. Retolaza Estrada, FG (2017). Systematization of the production process of curarina (Sansevieria trifasciata Prain) in the Cuyuta Parcel, Masagua, Escuintla, Guatemala, CA, Period 2012-2016 (Doctoral Thesis). University of San Carlos of Guatemala.