|
Sansevieria patens ‘Variegata’ (Variegated Koko Crater Sansevieria) - Sansevieria patens is an attractive succulent that forms large rosettes composed of 18 to 30 inch long by inch to inch and a half thick cylindrical leaves that spread in various orientations and arch gracefully back towards the ground from subterranean branching rhizomes. These leaves are typically a dark green color, sometimes with obscure paler green banding and are strongly longitudinally grooved their entire length on the upper surface, with the grove edges rounded and the leaf tip terminating with acute soft papery cartilage that is tan colored but this selection has irregular longitudinal yellow stripes – some leaves with the stripes so broad that the entire leaf is yellow with other leaves have thinner yellow stripes or no stripes at all. Like the species, the pale green flowers, held in 2 to 3 flower clusters along a 1-to-2-foot spicate inflorescent, are fragrant and followed by attractive round salmon egg looking orange fruit.
Plant in a well-drained mix in full to partial sun, very bright to moderately dim light indoors and keep fairly dry, especially in winter months. This plant can go weeks between watering and, as with other Sansevieria, the one thing that usually kills them is overwatering. An interesting plant that is attractive with its dark green rounded and channeled leaves that arch over gracefully and with leaf tips that are not sharp or dangerous. - we have had a specimen container plant of this species growing indoors in our general manager's office for many years where it only gets indirect light and is irrigated irregularly but not oftener than once every month or two. We winter have not tried to grow this species outdoors and suspect it best if kept as a house or patio plant when temperatures are above freezing.
For more information about this species, see our listing of Sansevieria patens.
We first received this variegated clone of Sansevieria patens in 2005 with the collection of noted Stockton, California Sansevieria collector Alice Waidhofer, who presumably got the plant with the normal form of the species from the dry Koko Crater, an annex of the Foster Botanic Garden in Honolulu, Hawaii. When we received Alice Waidhofer's entire collection in 2004 we acquired this variegated selection and a very slow growing dwarf selection of Sansevieria patens.
Sansevieria have long been placed in the Agavaceae, later in the Dracaenaceae and by some in the Ruscaceae family, but most recently has been placed in the subfamily Nolinoideae within the Asparagaceae family. Molecular phylogenetic studies have persuaded some to include Sansevieria in the genus Dracaena, which would make this plant's name Dracaena pearsonii. Because of considerable disagreement over this change, the long-standing use of its old name, and so not to cause our own and customer confusion, we continue to list this plant as a Sansevieria.
Information displayed on this page about Sansevieria patens 'Variegata' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
|
