Sansevieria trifasciata 'Moonshine'

Sansevieria trifasciata 'Moonshine'

Up until a few years ago, I had no idea there were cultivars of the old-fashioned parlor plant, Sansevieria trifasciata, or Mother-in-law’s Tongue. I kept one in the house for many years, then tired of it and moved it outside, where it finally succumbed to over watering. (Not by me--my spouse managed to kill it while I was on a trip).

I also had no idea that Sansevieria was in the Agavacaeae family, and that there are about 60 species in the genus. Since then, I’ve acquired several Sansevieria species, all potted and all different. The latest is the S. trifasciata ‘Moonshine’ shown in the photo.

This one came to me several months ago as an offset given away at our local Cactus and Succulent Society meeting. I liked the pale look of it, so I brought it home and potted it, and now it has grown a new offset of its own. When the leaves are young, they are a beautiful pale slivery green with a dark green margin. The leaf will eventually darken to an olive green with age, and will acquire some banding. Since it freely offsets, it there will always be some of the pale leaves showing.

This plant does best in light shade, and it is drought tolerant. One thing I’ve learned about S. trifasciata is that it can be propagated with leaf cuttings. I’ve never tried this technique, so I’m going to put it on my growing list of garden related things to do.