Sansevieria Snake plant

The snake plant is made of tough stuff. It grows primarily across Africa, in very dry conditions. It’s used to places so hot that during the day it keeps all its pores completely closed, so it doesn’t lose any water to evaporation. When the temperature cools at night, its pores open, releasing all the oxygen its been holding in. 

Its toughness makes it a dream of a houseplant. If you’re a beginner, this is the one for you. It thrives on neglect. It can live in any light conditions and doesn’t care if you forget to water it. The only thing it hates is too much water.

Low-key as it is, the snake plant is treasured all over the world. Across Africa, it’s associated with Ogun, the deity of war, and Oya, the bringer of storms. In China, it’s the ‘tiger’s tail orchid’; in Brazil, the ‘sword of Saint George’. Basically, this plant is pretty famous.

Watering:

He’s very drought tolerant. Let him dry out between waterings. In winter, he’ll only need water once a month or when you remember it exists.

Lighting:

Anywhere! With some form of light.

Did you know?

Another nickname for this plant is ‘viper’s bowstring hemp’, because its strong fibres were once used to make strings for bows.

Note: When purchasing plants please consider that each live item is unique and may therefore differ from the images shown, which are for illustration purposes only. Depending on season, some plants may be pruned back to encourage growth and deciduous plants may arrive without leaves. Collections or 'mixed' listings for plants will be selected dependant on availability and carefully hand-picked to ensure their quality.