Сансевієрія

Common names for the 70 or so species formerly placed in the genus include mother-in-law's tongue, devil's tongue, jinn's tongue, bow string hemp, snake plant and snake tongue. The species range from succulent desert plants such as Dracaena pinguicula to thinner leafed tropical plants such as Dracaena trifasciata. Dracaena trifasciata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to tropical West Africa from Nigeria east to the Congo.

The Plant

Dracaena trifasciata is an evergreen perennial plant forming dense strands, spreading by way of its creeping rhizome. Its stiff leaves grow vertically from a basal rosette. Mature leaves are dark green with light gray-green cross-banding and usually range from 70-90 centimetres long and 5-6 centimetres wide. Its flowers vary from greenish white to cream-colored. The flowers have a sticky texture. The plant uses the crassulacean acid metabolism process, opening its leaf pores only at night, which lets it withstand drought. The species is often kept as a houseplant because it can survive with very little water and sun.

Uses

In Africa, the leaves of former Sansevieria species are used for fiber production. Dracaena trifasciata yields bowstring hemp, a strong plant fiber once used to make bowstrings. The leaf fiber of many Sansevieria is also used for making fine matting, rope or cordage, and articles of clothing. Several former Sansevieria species are popular houseplants in temperate regions, with Dracaena trifasciata the most widely sold. The plant contains saponins which are mildly toxic to dogs and cats and can lead to gastrointestinal upset if consumed.

Chemistry

The most characteristic secondary metabolites isolated from Dracaena and Sansevieria are steroids, flavonoids, stilbenes, and saponins; flavonoids and saponins form the largest groups. Spirostanol and furostanol saponins are largely predominant in Dracaena and Sansevieria species. Saponins are a group of plant glycosides characterized by their high surfactant properties.

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