Sansevieria trifasciata

The number of times I have seen this plant flowering can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Without the delicate sprigs of flowers, the leaves are mundane-looking. With common names like "Snake Plant" and "Mother-in-Law's tongue", it is no wonder the plant is unimpressive.

Sansevieria trifasciata,

This is a long overdue post of flowers that I have so far seen only twice in my life so far. This plant is commonly known as the mother-in-law's tongue and most of us are more used to seeing only the sharp-edged leaves with yellow trimmings with a demeanour that is none too pleasant to have in a home garden. But when you see the flowers, you easily forget the not very flattering name of this plant. Why? Because the flowers come so rarely that when you do see them it would be like striking a lottery.

Sansevieria trifasciata "Laurentii"

These photos of this very hardy plant were taken about 5 years ago with a 2 megapixel Olympus camera. I wish I had a better camera because that was the one and only time that I have seen its flowers. These plants were lining the outer wall surrounding a condominium near my house and I was taking a walk with my son when these blooms caught my eye. Considering that the common names are so unflattering, the lovely, delicate flowers must have been given to make up for the harsh appearance of the plant. Thank god for flowers but pity they do not appear often enough.

Common name: Snake Plant, Mother-in-law's tongue

Family: Agavaceae

Origin: Africa