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I have a strange fascination for the Sansevierias that I haven't managed to shake off, in spite of trying. They don't tolerate much in the way of cold. They all have to
come indoors as soon as autumn starts shivering the spine. I had almost completely weaned myself off of them, when I came across this one in a garden centre, and just had to give it a try.
As I write, the spare bedroon is once again overcome with them, and has become a spiky winter refuge.
This is the species which develops thick, ribbed cylindrical leaves as it matures. Wikipedia says: "Dracaena angolensis (synonym Sansevieria cylindrica), commonly known as African spear or the spear sansevieria, is a succulent plant native to Angola in Southern Africa. For years, it was placed within the genus Sansevieria (snake-plants), a specific name which is still used synonymously by some; in the 21st century, Sansevieria became part of Dracaena (dragon-trees), after improved testing methods, physical comparisons, and other analyses found sufficient commonalities between the two genera to warrant subsumption." In 1982 Ed Hummel wrote in the Plant Shops Botanical Gardens catalogue: "Lg. round lvs in fans, virtually unchanneled but lightly grooved, grey-green." Gynelle Leon wrote in The Guardian online (30.09.2022): "This plant has recently been reclassified as a Dracaena angolensis after being known as Sansevieria cylindrica for many years. The genus, Dracaena, is derived from the ancient Greek word Drakaina, meaning “female dragon”, and Angolensis after Angola, its native home." |
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| 11th August 2006 | ||
