Sanseviera aethiopica
| Sanseviera aethiopica | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 10 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Sanseviera aethiopica (common name: bowstring hemp)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a warm greenhouse in April. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least a couple of years in a greenhouse before trying any of them outdoors.
Division of suckers as growth commences in the spring.
Leaf-cuttings, 7cm long placed in sand in a frame[1]. The leaf is cut into sections, the cut surfaces allowed to dry for a few hours, and the sections then placed in pots in a warm light frame, but with shelter from direct sunlight. Rooting and new growth should take place within a month.
Cultivation: Requires a very sunny position in a very well-drained sandy gritty loam[2] and a pH between 6 and 7[3].
This species is not very frost hardy, though it can succeed outdoors in the mildest parts of the country if it is given a selected sunny position[2]. Plants must be kept dry after they have flowered[2].
There is a lot of confusion between this species, S. roxburghiana. Schult. from India and S. zeylanica. (L.)Willd. from Sri Lanka[3]. It is most likely that they all have similar uses, though none of them are likely to be very hardy in Britain.
Range: Tropical Africa.
Edibility: The rhizome is a source of water[4]. This is presumably of some use in the arid areas of its native range, but of rather limited benefit in Britain[K].
Usage: A high quality fibre is obtained from the leaves. It is used for making sails and paper[1][2][5][6].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: S. zeylanica. non Willd.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.