Snake Plant

Overview

Dracaena trifasciata is native to tropical Africa. The plant is cultivated for its fibre in several tropical countries, it is also harvested from the wild for local medicinal use. It is commonly grown as an ornamental in tropical and subtropical regions, and as a pot plant in many other areas of the world. It is called a clean air plant as it helps improve air quality. NASA found back in the '70s that certain common houseplants could actually remove pollutants like formaldehyde, benzene, and ammonia from a room rather efficiently and further study supports this.

Vernacular Names

Waan hang suea (Thai), Pasa kilici (Turkey), Espada de Sao Jorge (Spanish), Tora no o (Japanese), Langue de belle-mere (French), Qian sui lan (Chinese), Espada de sao jorge (Brazil).

Agroecology

Found at elevations from 500 - 1,200 m. Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny or partially shaded position and a pH between 6 and 7. Bright sunlight can lead to bleaching of leaf colour. Established plants are drought tolerant.

Morphology

• Roots - fibrous.
• Leaves - linear-oblanceolate, stiffly erect, 30-100 × 3 cm, the apex tapering to a stiff green point; the blades are transversely banded with contrasting green and whitish zones; margins are green.
• Flowers - solitary or in clusters of 2 or 3, pedicels up to 5 mm long; perianth tube 1 cm long or less, the linear lobes up to 2 cm long, white or greenish white.
• Fruits - subglobose to oblong-ellipsoid, 7-9 × 5-8 mm, bright orange.

Cultivation

Propagated by seeds, leaf cuttings, storage organ and division.

Chemical Constituents

Sapogenins, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, phenols, steroids, glycosides, triterpenes.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• The plant is used to treat ringworm and fungal diseases.
• The leaf sap is applied directly on infected sores, cuts and grazes, it is also used to treat fungal and scabies infections.
• In China, decoction used for detoxification, as anti-inflammatory, and for treatment of sores and snake bites. Also used for boils, cough, bronchitis, traumatic injuries.
• In Sri Lanka, rhizomes used for coughs and colds; leaves used for snake bite.