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An unruly dwarf with rigid arms flying out at wild angles. Lovely, but a real nuisance if it has to be fitted into a small space for winter! Plants of the World online says (as Dracaena hargeisana): "The native range of this species is Somalia. It is a rhizomatous subshrub and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome." |
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| 11th August 2006 | ||
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Writing in the New Zealand Cactus and Succulent Journal in 2018, Colin Walker says: "Sansevieria hargeisana was described by Chahinian (1994) from a collection made by John Lavranos on a 1969–1970 expedition near Hargeisa in what is now the Somaliland Protectorate (formerly Somalia) and to date it has not been recorded from any other locality. Present knowledge therefore suggests that this is a narrow endemic species with a very limited distribution range, hence adding to its collector appeal, such that in cultivation I would describe it as rare. This species was reduced to a synonym of another Somalian species, S. phillipsiae in 1995, but was again recognised as distinct by Chahinian (2005) in his handbook on the genus The Splendid Sansevieria. It was originally compared to S. suffruticosa from Kenya. However, both S. phillipsiae and S. suffruticosa are larger-growing plants with above-ground stems that branch freely by producing aerial runners. In contrast S. hargeisana is a dwarf-growing species, so its recognition as distinct seems justified on currently available evidence. My plant (Fig. 1) has leaves up to only 10 cm long (with many only around 8 cm or less). These are cylindrical and round in crosssection for much of their length, with a shallow channel at the base, pronounced cartilaginous rust to fawn margins and with a sharp dried tip at the apex marked with rust at its base. As with many sansevierias the leaves are attractively crossbanded in darker green, with at least 7 dark green longitudinal lines and a slightly rough texture to the surface. In contrast young leaves are flatter, shallowly-channelled and not cylindrical. The plant branches underground and hence has no aerial stem. The flower spike is recorded as being up to 18 cm tall, but my plant has yet to oblige. In my experience, this is the slowestgrowing Sansevieria I have nurtured to date, making it especially suitable to a restricted pot class in shows because it is small growing. I obtained it 8 years ago and it was repotted only in 2016 in preparation for the BCSS National Show. It was the winner of the second prize in the class for “One plant in the Sansevieria group in a pot not over 140mm”! The pot was chosen because the speckled brown colour, roughened and lined texture and overall design which attractively complement the colour and texture of the plant. The plant is best grown with reasonable light levels to maintain the compact growth and attractive leaf markings. " |