Perhaps best known in the sansevieria genus is the common snake plant (or mother-in-law’s tongue). But a much finer specimen/species is the Sansevieria cylindrica (aka, African spear). No more tongue: these have beautiful cylindrical (spear-like) leaves, which the baboons of Angola have been known to impale themselves on.
The write-up on Wikipedia reads:
Sansevieria cylindrica, also known as the Cylindrical Snake Plant, African Spear or Spear Sansevieria, is a succulent plant native to Angola.
S. cylindrica has striped, round leaves that are smooth and a green-gray color. A single leaf is about 3 cm (1 in) thick and grows to a height between 1 m (3 ft) and 2 m (7 ft). The Spear Sansevieria grows fan-shaped, with its stiff leaves growing from a basal rosette. The species is interesting in having rounded instead of strap-shaped leaves caused by a failure to express genes which would cause the cylindrical bud to differentiate dorsoventrally or produce a distinctive and familiar top and bottom surface to the leaf blade. The 3 cm (1 in) greenish-white tubular flowers are tinged with pink. The species is drought-tolerant and in captivity needs water only about once every other week during the breeding season. The species was described by Wenceslas Bojer in 1837.
Here’s one, new on display in the shop (Ponsonby Plants)…
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(overhead)
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