This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: [SANS] Sansevieria Zanzibar

Hi Diana,

Another little story.
There is no such plant in cultivation, that I have seen, called Sansevieria
zanzibarica.
There is though, S. aff. zanzibarica.

When I was a semi-rookie (I still am) and my plants were quite juvenile,
(they are not now) I had this plant called Sansevieria aff. zanzibarica.
I felt very excited when I discovered that the plant had leaves marked with
interrupted lines on two's and four's as I read in N.E. Brown's monograph
that a good Sansevieria robusta should have.
But alas! my plant was not distichous (fanlike) but the leaves were pointing
in all directions.
At that time everybody was looking for a Sansevieria robusta and Glasshouse
Works were selling little squirts, seedling of the size of a small (read:
small) strawberry for $20.-, whose seeds they had obtained from Pfennig.

When I visited John Bleck in Santa Barbara College, I noticed the same plant,
quite large and totally distichous. It had the same markings as my plant and
slightly bluish color. It was the same day that I told John that his S.
stuckyi was not properly identified (not with these words).
While he did not change the name of the latter, he did change the name of S.
aff. zanzibarica to Sansevieria robusta.
When later I went to Kenya and saw literally tens of thousands of S. robusta,
it became clear to me that it would almost be impossible for S. robusta not
to be in cultivation among us.
Later on, the branched inflorescence reconfirmed its identity.
The plant was sold as S. aff. zanzibarica by Abbey Garden.

Cheers,

Juan
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index