Sansevieria flower surprise

I love houseplants.

In other people’s houses.

Myself, I’m terrible with them because I always seem to forget to water them. Plus, I hate dealing with the inevitable pests that houseplants attract.

Having said that, I’ve had a few plants sneak indoors in the last few years. Most of them are sansevierias, a genus I’m quite fascinated with. (Will somebody please write a good book about sansevierias?) What they lack in cold tolerance, they make up for in spades with the ability to survive in low light and go for weeks (some say months) without water. In addition, there’s evidence that sansevierias are great at removing toxins from the air.

Not everybody thinks their strappy leaves are attractive (I do), but consider this: Some of them produce the most amazing flowers. Case in point: Sansevieria kirkii var. pulchra. This is what we came home to from our recent trip to Victoria, British Columbia:

160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_013

I got this particular plant from the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory last year because—well, I don’t even know why. I guess I liked the mottled green leaves edged in a thin strip of pink. I put it on a cedar chest in front of the big window in the upstairs loft where I sometimes overwinter plants. I didn’t even bother to repot it. It got water whenever I thought of it (i.e. not terribly regularly).

160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_014

It is said that sansevierias only flower when they’re happy. Which this one clearly is. And the inflorescence is fascinating.

s160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_003

The individual flowers open up in the late afternoon (some references call this variety a night bloomer) and seem to last only a few days. There is no scent, but I’ve noticed drops of nectar at the ends of the recurving spent flowers.

160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_007

Sansevieria kirkii var. pulchra, also called “star sansevieria,” is native to tropical East Africa (Arid Lands narrows it down to Tanzania). I wasn’t able to find a lot of authoritative information about it, but based on its native habitat, I doubt it would survive outdoors in temperatures below the mid-30s.

160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_015

Here are a few more close-ups of the flowers. I had a hard time stopping.

160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_005

160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_010

160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_011

160914_Sansevieria-kirkii-var-pulchra_017

Now I know what this sansevieria is capable of, it will get a prettier pot to live in when it’s done blooming.

Here are two other sansevierias that have been happy upstairs for a number of years, Sansevieria suffroticosa and Sansevieria cylindrica. Neither of them flowered this year, but they have produced several new leaves so they’re OK.

What do you think of sansevierias? Yay or nay?

Comments

  1. I found a cylindrica at the market. Fascinating. I had to buy it. Took pups and gave to my family. But I no idea about the flower. Very delicate for a "cast-iron" plant!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love them! And yes, there needs to be a book. When mine have flowered they've been down in the foliage, I love this one held up high. Oh and yes...put that thing in a nicer pot!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well it didn't stab me when I opened and closed the shades, so yes I liked it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Sansevieria! I had a Sansevieria trifasciata 'Bantel's Sensation' bloom last year when I put it in the greenhouse for the summer. It didn't do it this year, but I grow them for the foliage anyway. S. kirkii does have really cool flowers, though. Way to go, making it happy! I think I've got about 11 different kinds, now, and I want more! I have tons of houseplants, but I'm purging some of the higher maintenance ones to make room for more Sansevierias and bromeliads.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yay! My favorite houseplant--I'm a failure at houseplants. Sans are like plastic plants, only without being plastic.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment