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Dracaena trifasciata

February 16, 2024

For other plants also commonly known as "snake plant", see Snakeplant.

Dracaena trifasciata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to tropical West Africa from Nigeria east to the Congo. It is most commonly known as the snake plant, Saint George's sword, mother-in-law's tongue, and viper's bowstring hemp, among other names.[2] Until 2017, it was known under the synonym Sansevieria trifasciata.[1]

Snake plant
A variegated cultivar, 'Laurentii'
Wild plant with fruits
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Dracaena
Species:
D. trifasciata
Binomial name
Dracaena trifasciata
(Prain) Mabb.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Sansevieria aureovariegata Mottet
  • Sansevieria jacquinii N.E.Br.
  • Sansevieria laurentii De Wild.
  • Sansevieria trifasciata Prain.

Description edit

It is an evergreen perennial plant forming dense strands, spreading by way of its creeping rhizome, which is sometimes above ground, sometimes underground. Its stiff leaves grow vertically from a basal rosette. Mature leaves are dark green with light gray-green cross-banding and usually range from 70–90 centimetres (2.3–3.0 ft) long and 5–6 centimetres (2.0–2.4 in) wide, though it can reach heights above 2 m (6 ft) in optimal conditions.[3]

The specific epithet trifasciata means "three bundles".[4]

The plant exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide using the crassulacean acid metabolism process, which allows them to withstand drought. The microscopic pores on the plant's leaves, called the stomata and used to exchange gases, are opened only at night to prevent water from escaping via evaporation in the hot sun.

This plant is often kept as a houseplant due to its non-demanding maintenance; they can survive with very little water and sun.

To get this plant to go into bloom outside of its natural environment is difficult. Replicating its natural environment is possible. Its flowers vary from greenish white to cream-colored — some are fragrant at night, others not at all — and have a sticky texture.[5]

Common names edit

Dracaena trifasciata is commonly called "mother-in-law's tongue", "Saint George's sword" or "snake plant", because of the shape and sharp margins of its leaves[2] that resemble snakes. It is also known as the "viper's bowstring hemp", because it is one of the sources for plant fibers used to make bowstrings.[6]

Cultivation and uses edit

Like some other members of its genus, D. trifasciata yields bowstring hemp, a strong plant fiber once used to make bowstrings.

It is now used predominantly as an ornamental plant, outdoors in warmer climates, and indoors as a houseplant in cooler climates. It is popular as a houseplant because it is tolerant of low light levels and irregular watering; during winter, it needs only one watering every couple of months. It will rot easily if overwatered.[7] It is commonly recommended to beginners interested in cultivating houseplants for its easy care.[8]

The NASA Clean Air Study found D. trifasciata has the potential to filter indoor air, removing 4 of the 5 main toxins involved in the effects of sick building syndrome.[9] However, its rate of filtration is too slow for practical indoor use.[10]

It can be propagated by cuttings or by dividing the rhizome. The first method has the disadvantage that the variegation will be lost.[11]

D. trifasciata is considered by some authorities a potential weed in Australia, although widely used as an ornamental, in the tropics outdoors in pots and garden beds and in temperate areas as an indoor plant.[12][13]

The plant contains saponins which are mildly toxic to dogs and cats and can lead to gastrointestinal upset if consumed.[14]

In South Africa, it is also used to treat ear infections.

Varieties and cultivars edit

Numerous cultivars have been developed, many of them for variegated foliage with yellow or silvery-white stripes on the leaf margins. Popular cultivars include 'Compacta', 'Goldiana', 'Hahnii', 'Laurentii', 'Silbersee', and 'Silver Hahnii'. 'Hahnii' was discovered in 1939 by William W. Smith Jr. in the Crescent Nursery Company, New Orleans, Louisiana. The 1941 patent was assigned to Sylvan Frank Hahn, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[15]

The variety D. trifasciata var. laurentii,[16] together with the cultivars 'Bantel's Sensation'[17] and 'Golden Hahni'[18] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[19]

Non-variegated forms of D. trifasciata are often incorrectly sold as Sansevieria zeylanica, which is an different species that is rarely cultivated.[20][21]

Cultural significance edit

In its native range in Africa, Dracaena trifasciata specimens with yellow stripes on the leaf margins are associated with Ọya, the female orisha of storms. In Nigeria, the plant is commonly linked with Ògún, the orisha of war, and is used in rituals to remove the evil eye.[22]

In Brazil, where it is known as espada de São Jorge ("Saint George's sword"),[23][24] it is grown outside houses to ward off evil that might harm the home (as is Dracaena angolensis, Saint George's spear).[24] The plant plays an important part in the Afro-Brazilian syncretic religion Umbanda,[23][24] also representing the orisha Ogum (Ògún),[25] as Ogum is syncretized with Saint George. Some yellow-edged varieties of D. trifasciata are called espada de Santa-Bárbara ("Sword of Saint Barbara") and are associated with Iansã, the Umbanda name for Ọya, Saint Barbara's syncretic orisha pair.[25][24] These types are grown to protect against inclement weather.[25][24]

This plant is visible on the porch in American Grant Wood's 1930 painting, American Gothic.[26][27][28]

Gallery edit

  •  
    Dracaena trifasciata 'Hahnii', a dwarfed cultivar
  •  
    In cultivation
  •  
    Flowering
  •  
    Fully developed and blooming inflorescence.
  •  
    Dracaena trifasciata

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Sansevieria trifasciata". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  2. ^ a b "Sansevieria trifasciata". Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Snake Plant". Better Homes & Gardens. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  4. ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
  5. ^ "Dracaena Trifasciata Care – #1 Best Care Guide". Plantophiles. 2 January 2021.
  6. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sansevieria trifasciata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Mother-in-Law's Tongue or Snake Plant". Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  8. ^ Roscoe, Zoe (1 October 2021). "The 8 Best Indoor Plants To Buy in 2022". The Manual. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  9. ^ BC Wolverton; WL Douglas; K Bounds (July 1989). A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement (PDF) (Report). NASA. NASA-TM-108061.
  10. ^ Cummings, Bryan E.; Waring, Michael S. (2019-11-06). "Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies". Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. 30 (2): 253–261. doi:10.1038/s41370-019-0175-9. ISSN 1559-064X. PMID 31695112. S2CID 207911697.
  11. ^ "Sansevieria Production Guide".
  12. ^ S. Csurhes and R. Edwards (1998). (PDF). Queensland Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  13. ^ "mother-in-law's tongue | Weed Identification – Brisbane City Council". weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Mother-in-Law's Tongue". ASPCA.
  15. ^ Smith, William Walter. "Sansevieria". Plant Patent 470. United States Patent Office. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  16. ^ "Sansevieria trifasciata var. laurentii". RHS. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Sansevieria trifasciata 'Bantel's Sensation'". RHS. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Sansevierie trifasciata 'Golden Hahni'". RHS. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  19. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 94. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  20. ^ Newton, L.E. (2020). "Sansevieria RUSCACEAE". In Eggli, Urs; Nyffeler, R. (eds.). Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons (2nd ed.). Berlin: Springer-Verlag GmbH. pp. 1353–1385.
  21. ^ Henley, R.W.; Chase, A.R.; Osborne, L.S. "Sansevieria Production Guide (CFREC-A Foliage Plant Note RH-91-30)". Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  22. ^ "A LA RECHERCHE DS PLANTES PERDUES, Les plante reouvées par les descendants culturels des Yoruba au Brésil" (in French). 1995-07-01. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  23. ^ a b Carlessi, Pedro Crepaldi (2019-12-04). . Ethnobiology Letters. 10: 113–119. doi:10.14237/ebl.10.1.2019.1547. S2CID 209473075. Archived from the original on 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  24. ^ a b c d e Aline Melo. "Espada de São Jorge, lança de São Jorge ou Espada de Santa Bárbara?" Casa e Jardim. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2024. (in Portuguese) "No Brasil, popularizou-se o uso de três espécies: a Sansevieria zeylanica, autêntica espada-de-são-jorge, verde e rajada; a Sansevieria trifasciata, com bordas amareladas da raiz às pontas, que ficou conhecida como espada-de-santa-bárbara; e a Sansevieria cylindrica, a lança-de-são-jorge, com aspecto pontudo e folhagens fechadas em formato cilíndrico."
  25. ^ a b c Heloísa Von Ah. "3 tipos de Espada-de-São-Jorge: conheça as principais diferenças." WeMystic. Date not given. Retrieved 10 February 2024. (in Portuguese)
  26. ^ "The Painting - The Plants". American Gothic House Center. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  27. ^ Ching, Barbara (2019). "Transplanted— Edward Hopper in Cedar Rapids, Grant Wood in New York City: A Review Essay". The Annals of Iowa. 78 (2): 194–206. doi:10.17077/0003-4827.12564. S2CID 242816098. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  28. ^ Biel, Steven (2005). "Parody". American Gothic: A Life of American's Most Famous Painting. pp. 120–172. ISBN 9780393059120.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dracaena trifasciata.

February 16, 2024
dracaena, trifasciata, other, plants, also, commonly, known, snake, plant, snakeplant, species, flowering, plant, family, asparagaceae, native, tropical, west, africa, from, nigeria, east, congo, most, commonly, known, snake, plant, saint, george, sword, mothe. For other plants also commonly known as snake plant see Snakeplant Dracaena trifasciata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae native to tropical West Africa from Nigeria east to the Congo It is most commonly known as the snake plant Saint George s sword mother in law s tongue and viper s bowstring hemp among other names 2 Until 2017 it was known under the synonym Sansevieria trifasciata 1 Snake plantA variegated cultivar Laurentii Wild plant with fruitsScientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade MonocotsOrder AsparagalesFamily AsparagaceaeSubfamily NolinoideaeGenus DracaenaSpecies D trifasciataBinomial nameDracaena trifasciata Prain Mabb 1 Synonyms 1 Sansevieria aureovariegata MottetSansevieria jacquinii N E Br Sansevieria laurentii De Wild Sansevieria trifasciata Prain Contents 1 Description 2 Common names 3 Cultivation and uses 4 Varieties and cultivars 5 Cultural significance 6 Gallery 7 References 8 External linksDescription editIt is an evergreen perennial plant forming dense strands spreading by way of its creeping rhizome which is sometimes above ground sometimes underground Its stiff leaves grow vertically from a basal rosette Mature leaves are dark green with light gray green cross banding and usually range from 70 90 centimetres 2 3 3 0 ft long and 5 6 centimetres 2 0 2 4 in wide though it can reach heights above 2 m 6 ft in optimal conditions 3 The specific epithet trifasciata means three bundles 4 The plant exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide using the crassulacean acid metabolism process which allows them to withstand drought The microscopic pores on the plant s leaves called the stomata and used to exchange gases are opened only at night to prevent water from escaping via evaporation in the hot sun This plant is often kept as a houseplant due to its non demanding maintenance they can survive with very little water and sun To get this plant to go into bloom outside of its natural environment is difficult Replicating its natural environment is possible Its flowers vary from greenish white to cream colored some are fragrant at night others not at all and have a sticky texture 5 Common names editDracaena trifasciata is commonly called mother in law s tongue Saint George s sword or snake plant because of the shape and sharp margins of its leaves 2 that resemble snakes It is also known as the viper s bowstring hemp because it is one of the sources for plant fibers used to make bowstrings 6 Cultivation and uses editLike some other members of its genus D trifasciata yields bowstring hemp a strong plant fiber once used to make bowstrings It is now used predominantly as an ornamental plant outdoors in warmer climates and indoors as a houseplant in cooler climates It is popular as a houseplant because it is tolerant of low light levels and irregular watering during winter it needs only one watering every couple of months It will rot easily if overwatered 7 It is commonly recommended to beginners interested in cultivating houseplants for its easy care 8 The NASA Clean Air Study found D trifasciata has the potential to filter indoor air removing 4 of the 5 main toxins involved in the effects of sick building syndrome 9 However its rate of filtration is too slow for practical indoor use 10 It can be propagated by cuttings or by dividing the rhizome The first method has the disadvantage that the variegation will be lost 11 D trifasciata is considered by some authorities a potential weed in Australia although widely used as an ornamental in the tropics outdoors in pots and garden beds and in temperate areas as an indoor plant 12 13 The plant contains saponins which are mildly toxic to dogs and cats and can lead to gastrointestinal upset if consumed 14 In South Africa it is also used to treat ear infections Varieties and cultivars editNumerous cultivars have been developed many of them for variegated foliage with yellow or silvery white stripes on the leaf margins Popular cultivars include Compacta Goldiana Hahnii Laurentii Silbersee and Silver Hahnii Hahnii was discovered in 1939 by William W Smith Jr in the Crescent Nursery Company New Orleans Louisiana The 1941 patent was assigned to Sylvan Frank Hahn Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15 The variety D trifasciata var laurentii 16 together with the cultivars Bantel s Sensation 17 and Golden Hahni 18 have gained the Royal Horticultural Society s Award of Garden Merit 19 Non variegated forms of D trifasciata are often incorrectly sold as Sansevieria zeylanica which is an different species that is rarely cultivated 20 21 Cultural significance editIn its native range in Africa Dracaena trifasciata specimens with yellow stripes on the leaf margins are associated with Ọya the female orisha of storms In Nigeria the plant is commonly linked with Ogun the orisha of war and is used in rituals to remove the evil eye 22 In Brazil where it is known as espada de Sao Jorge Saint George s sword 23 24 it is grown outside houses to ward off evil that might harm the home as is Dracaena angolensis Saint George s spear 24 The plant plays an important part in the Afro Brazilian syncretic religion Umbanda 23 24 also representing the orisha Ogum Ogun 25 as Ogum is syncretized with Saint George Some yellow edged varieties of D trifasciata are called espada de Santa Barbara Sword of Saint Barbara and are associated with Iansa the Umbanda name for Ọya Saint Barbara s syncretic orisha pair 25 24 These types are grown to protect against inclement weather 25 24 This plant is visible on the porch in American Grant Wood s 1930 painting American Gothic 26 27 28 Gallery edit nbsp Dracaena trifasciata Hahnii a dwarfed cultivar nbsp In cultivation nbsp Flowering nbsp Fully developed and blooming inflorescence nbsp Dracaena trifasciataReferences edit a b c Sansevieria trifasciata World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Retrieved 2020 02 18 a b Sansevieria trifasciata Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden 20 July 2019 Retrieved 30 July 2019 Snake Plant Better Homes amp Gardens Retrieved 2021 06 15 Harrison Lorraine 2012 RHS Latin for gardeners United Kingdom Mitchell Beazley p 224 ISBN 9781845337315 Dracaena Trifasciata Care 1 Best Care Guide Plantophiles 2 January 2021 USDA NRCS n d Sansevieria trifasciata The PLANTS Database plants usda gov Greensboro North Carolina National Plant Data Team Retrieved 30 October 2015 Mother in Law s Tongue or Snake Plant Retrieved 2010 03 04 Roscoe Zoe 1 October 2021 The 8 Best Indoor Plants To Buy in 2022 The Manual Retrieved 2020 05 17 BC Wolverton WL Douglas K Bounds July 1989 A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement PDF Report NASA NASA TM 108061 Cummings Bryan E Waring Michael S 2019 11 06 Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies Journal of Exposure Science amp Environmental Epidemiology 30 2 253 261 doi 10 1038 s41370 019 0175 9 ISSN 1559 064X PMID 31695112 S2CID 207911697 Sansevieria Production Guide S Csurhes and R Edwards 1998 Potential environmental weeds in Australia Candidate species for preventative control PDF Queensland Department of Natural Resources Archived from the original PDF on October 10 2007 Retrieved March 26 2013 mother in law s tongue Weed Identification Brisbane City Council weeds brisbane qld gov au Retrieved 23 June 2019 Mother in Law s Tongue ASPCA Smith William Walter Sansevieria Plant Patent 470 United States Patent Office Retrieved March 26 2013 Sansevieria trifasciata var laurentii RHS Retrieved 18 February 2019 Sansevieria trifasciata Bantel s Sensation RHS Retrieved 18 February 2019 Sansevierie trifasciata Golden Hahni RHS Retrieved 18 February 2019 AGM Plants Ornamental PDF Royal Horticultural Society July 2017 p 94 Retrieved 28 October 2018 Newton L E 2020 Sansevieria RUSCACEAE In Eggli Urs Nyffeler R eds Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants Monocotyledons 2nd ed Berlin Springer Verlag GmbH pp 1353 1385 Henley R W Chase A R Osborne L S Sansevieria Production Guide CFREC A Foliage Plant Note RH 91 30 Retrieved 8 February 2023 A LA RECHERCHE DS PLANTES PERDUES Les plante reouvees par les descendants culturels des Yoruba au Bresil in French 1995 07 01 Retrieved 2020 08 14 a b Carlessi Pedro Crepaldi 2019 12 04 How to Carry Out a Democratic Ethnobotanical Study Ethnobiology Letters 10 113 119 doi 10 14237 ebl 10 1 2019 1547 S2CID 209473075 Archived from the original on 2020 08 14 Retrieved 2020 08 14 a b c d e Aline Melo Espada de Sao Jorge lanca de Sao Jorge ou Espada de Santa Barbara Casa e Jardim 9 October 2020 Retrieved 10 February 2024 in Portuguese No Brasil popularizou se o uso de tres especies aSansevieria zeylanica autentica espada de sao jorge verde e rajada aSansevieria trifasciata com bordas amareladas da raiz as pontas que ficou conhecida como espada de santa barbara e aSansevieria cylindrica a lanca de sao jorge com aspecto pontudo e folhagens fechadas em formato cilindrico a b c Heloisa Von Ah 3 tipos de Espada de Sao Jorge conheca as principais diferencas WeMystic Date not given Retrieved 10 February 2024 in Portuguese The Painting The Plants American Gothic House Center Retrieved 11 July 2022 Ching Barbara 2019 Transplanted Edward Hopper in Cedar Rapids Grant Wood in New York City A Review Essay The Annals of Iowa 78 2 194 206 doi 10 17077 0003 4827 12564 S2CID 242816098 Retrieved 11 July 2022 Biel Steven 2005 Parody American Gothic A Life of American s Most Famous Painting pp 120 172 ISBN 9780393059120 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dracaena trifasciata Sansevieria trifasciata Germplasm Resources Information Network Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dracaena trifasciata amp oldid 1206022192, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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