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Snake plants are easy to grow and very attractive to include in your home’s decor. Known by its scientific name Sansevieria, this hardy houseplant tolerates low light exposure and watering neglect. The low maintenance style is certainly appealing for many homeowners but the snake plant also brings some additional benefits. It can contribute to generally cleaner air inside your home.
As you’ve probably figured out, snake plants get their name from the characteristic shape of their long leaves that appears similar to an upright snake. It’s also called “mother-in-law’s tongue”. There are lots of types of snake plants out there. If you want a good match for your home’s aesthetic, the following list should provide you with some great examples to consider. Let’s explore some of the distinctive qualities of the best varieties of Sansevieria plants complete with pictures to help with the identification.
1. Futura Robusta
A beautiful evergreen snake plant with dense growing patterns and gray variegations, the Futura Robusta variety is highly recommended for indoor growing. environment type of Sansevieria doesn’t grow taller than 24” while providing some solid visual appeal through its short leaves resembling the shape of a sword. The striped patterns on the dark green foliage contribute to its overall attractiveness.
2. Black Gold
The Black Gold snake plant features yellow outlines for its green leaves. As opposed to some other varieties, this Sansevieria prefers more light exposure. It’s recommended to find a bright spot for it in your home to let it develop its colorful edges more prominently. This snake plant works nicely as a tall houseplant considering its maximum height of 4 feet.
3. Laurentii
Some types of snake plants can reach tall heights of up to 4 feet. It’s the case for the Laurentii cultivar that boasts elegant variegations on its yellow-tinged green leaves. This Sansevieria plant shows off good overall hardiness and won’t have problems growing pretty much in any indoor environment. It’s recommended for filling up an empty corner in your room where the plant can fully develop its height.
4. Dwarf Sansevieria
As opposed to the more common types of snake plants, this is a dwarf variety that barely reaches 6 inches in height. It also shows a more unique appearance with striped rosettes in two tones of green. The Dwarf Sansevieria produces little whitish flowers in small clusters that develop upright on the stems. This could be a great plant for hanging pots.
5. Patens
The Sansevieria Patens has a chunky appearance with vibrant green foliage. The cylindrical leaves don’t have particularly noticeable variegations except for subtle light green bands. This type of snake plant produces grayish flowers in clusters and prefers some extra light exposure to develop its colorful look. It can reach up to 3 feet in height and is a native of eastern Africa.
6. Cylindrica
With particularly long and tubular leaves, the Cylindrica variety can easily stand out in your garden. This is an interesting snake plant with lots of green markings on its long succulent leaves. Also called African Spear, Sansevieria Cylindrica reaches tall heights of around 7 feet in ideal growing conditions. It’s recommended as a container plant where you can better manage the growth style of its distinctive leaves.
7. Trifasciata
When it comes to snake plants, the Trifasciata variety seems to be among the most common. It’s not hard to see why this plant is popular. Sansevieria Trifasciata boasts a wide range of attractive foliage patterns with striking green colors. Some plants show off curly leaves. This snake plant cultivar works great for both outdoor landscaping and to use as an indoor houseplant.
8. Banana
A distinctive type of snake plant, the “Banana” variety gets its name from the look of its fleshy leaves. It won’t be confused with a banana plant, however, because it features a short height. The leaves of this Sansevieria have a thick shape that can sometimes be described as boat-like. This is most likely due to the curved topside. Interestingly, the leaf in the center of the plant grows straight compared to the others.
9. Gracilis
Another beautiful dwarf variety, this type of snake plant won’t grow beyond 18 inches. Sansevieria Gracilis offers distinctive dark green foliage with tubular leaves adorned with light green bands. It has a blooming period where it develops small whitish flowers. Partial shade might be optimal for this type of snake plant so it’s a nice low-maintenance houseplant to consider.
10. Blue Sansevieria
With a unique fan shape and boat-like leaves, the Blue Sansevieria represents a fine addition to any tropical garden. Despite its name, the foliage color is simply green without notable variegations. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this plant is the size. Leaves tend to grow long and wide with mature plants able to reach around 5 feet in height.
11. Masoniana
Highly appreciated for its elegant variegations and paddle-shaped leaves, Sansevieria Masoniana is a popular type of snake plant. The mottled green leaves can reach a respectable height of around 4 feet but the plant requires sufficient light exposure to thrive. When given a bright spot, Masoniana snake plants will also produce small flowers. Due to the shape of its leaves, this Sansevieria is commonly called “Whale’s Fin”.
12. Eilensis
The Sansevieria Eilensis is a dwarf variety whose green leaves show off a slight bluish tinge. The chunky leaves of this plant also have a tendency to curve downwards as the plant matures. Immature plants can be more easily recognized by their brown cuticles at the tip of the leaves. During its late summer blooming period, Sansevieria Eilensis produces flowers when properly cared for.
