I grew up with a huge pot on mother in law's tongue, Sanseveria, in our home, and I had no idea that this plant blooms and quite ilkely does so every year in its native environment in West Africa. i have read about folk burying an apple in their pot of Sansevieria to get it to bloom with the help of the ethanol released by the apple, but other than that my knowledge of its blooms was quite limited. Two years ago after arriving home from a 6 week summer trip I saw stalks of dried blooms on the plant, to my great surprise, and last year the same thing happened. This year, because it is leap year and we have added a month to the calendar, our vacation is taking place a bit later on the gregorian calendar, and I am home to witness my mother in law's tongue produces stalks of little white blooms! So very exciting and while the flowers have yet to open I thought I'd share this with you!
Just by the way, mother in law's tongue is one of the those plants that is very difficult to kill (though I've seen plenty of them at wit's end because people think it doesn't need any water apparently) and my huge pot can literally go for several months with no water, especially in the winter. Also good to know that the plant multiplies itself nicely spreading via underground runners, and you'll end up with a pot packed with the plant, which looks great. If a frond breaks off, you can put any piece of it in water or in moist soil, and it will grow a rhizome (its root formation) from the frond, really special! Those are just two amaing aspects of this plant, keep on reading to learn another!
The plant exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide using the crassulacean acid metabolism process, which is only found in a small number of plant species! This process allows them to withstand drought, in turn making them a great houseplant for travelers! The microscopic pores on the plant's leaves, called the stomata and used to exchange gases, are only opened at night to prevent water from escaping via evaporation in the hot sun. Stored oxygen is released at the opening of the stomata at night, unlike most plants which continuously exchange gases during the day. So put a bunch of Sansevieria in your bedroom for some great sleep!
A flowering stalk just begins to grow.......
This one is a bit more developed, and now as I type this it looks like the blooms will open today or tomorrow, so exciting!
If you are looking for a plant that keeps its form, and can fill a space that is narrow, this is a great one. It all depends on the pot you choose, and mother in law's tongue will do the job. Sometimes the fronds get too tall and start to bow, in which case one can just simply cut them off and use them to make more plants. And if you are like me, the more the merrier! Happy house planting!
