Sanseveria was named after the person who invented colored fireworks. The Sanseveria is one of the best plants to clean indoor air. According to Nasa, it’s a top-notch air purifier by removing toxins such as toluene, nitrogen oxides, xylene and formaldehyde from the air. Especially people with allergies benefit from this. Putting about 9 Sanseverias per 100 square meters cleans the air almost completely. The Sanseveria also emits oxygen at night which is a plus for using it in your bedroom.
Sanseveria was named by the Italian botanist Vincenzo Petagna after the scientist Raimondo di Sangro which also happened to be the prince of Sanseviero (now the city Sanse Vero), hence the name. You can still visit this Italian town with the famous Cappella Sansevero which interior was designed by Raimondo. Raimondo also invented colored fireworks which may be the reason that they still have huge fireworks every may in the city and which is a legit reason as well to name a plant after a person.
Sanseverias produce bowstring hemp, a plant fiber that was used in the past to create bowstrings. Hence it’s nickname bowstring hemp.
| Origin | Tropical areas (thin-leaved Sanseverias) and deserts (thick-leaved Sanseverias) in Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia. |
| Size | Leaves up to 200 cm ( Sansevieria trifasciata ) |
| Light | Ideally bright light with sometimes sun and sometimes shade but it can live anywhere from low light to direct sun. The less light, the darker the foliage. |
| Temperature | Not colder than 5 degrees Celsius. Ideal growth between 21 and 32 °C. |
| Humidity | No specific requirements. |
| Water | Once every two weeks during summer, once every 6-8 weeks during winter. Allow the soil to dry up before rewatering. |
| Soil | Use a regular cactus and succulent mix with great draining capabilities (PH 4.5 to 8.5). |
| Food | Mix half a teaspoon of liquid food (ideally for cacti/succulents) with the water every two months. |
| Repotting | Every 3 years to a pot that is at least 20% larger than the last one. |
| Pruning | You prune your plant by cutting leaves at the base of the leaf. |
| Flowers | Very rare (once every few decades) and happens mostly when the plant is mildly stressed for a longer period of time for example when it is rootbound. |
| Propogation | You can grow Sanseverias from seed but because they don’t flower that often, seeds are very rare. The easiest way to propagate is to divide a plant you already have in multiple plants at the roots. You can also cut a leaf in pieces of about 10cm and put it in new earth. A new plant will grow from the leave pieces but its first leaves will be smaller than with the dividing method. |
| Supports | No support needed. |
