Sansevieria hyacinthoides

Mother in law’s tongue or bowstring hemp are some of the common names acquired by Sansevieria hyacinthoides. It grows from a sturdy, orange rhizome to 60 cm in height and forms large stands. 

The five to twelve, rigid and robust, erect leaves are strap-shaped and acutely pointed. Leaf dimensions are 60 cm long and 8 cm wide.

The plant is often grouped among bulbous species due to its robust rhizomes that spread and form clumps. It may fit as easily among succulents for its moisture storage, or as a perennial herb. Categorization of living things simplifies understanding but brings about much borderline uncertainty among classes sometimes artificial to nature. The transition areas, the shades of grey limit order, increasing complexity and foster debate.

When in flower the plant might be thought to stand a chance of also impressing with its greenish white raceme of clustered tubular flowers. The flowers appear only once on each outgrowth, the leaves giving the lasting impression.

The little red berries that follow later also don’t quite make it in the popularity stakes. Only the moth pollinators watch out for flowering time of S. hyacinthoides, which is from late spring to early autumn.

The species distribution is in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal to Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo.

The habitat is woodland and thicket. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

Mother in law's tongue has interesting uses, including in traditional medicine for various complaints, as rope fibre, and as an air purifier that removes toxins from the air. It can thus be used in dealing with sick building syndrome. The leaves produce oxygen at night, making it a good indoor and bedroom plant but also features in gardens and containers outside. This plant is also an invader in some south-western parts of the USA (Pooley, 1998; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984, iNaturalist; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).