Mother-In-Law's Tongue
Mother-In-Law's Tongue
Sansevieria hyacinthoides
Plantae
UNCOMMON

Stats

Lifespan
Perennial
Size
Small
Diet
Photosynthetic
Biome
Savanna
Range
Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement
Sessile
Breeding
Seeds
Defense
Toxins
Status
Uncommon

About

This succulent shrub grows in the dry, rocky soils of eastern Africa. Its leaves contain sharp, crystalline needles that pierce the skin of any herbivore.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    seed
    A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
  2. 2.
    sprout
    A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
  3. 3.
    sapling
    A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
  4. 4.
    mature
    Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Order
Asparagales
Family
Asparagaceae
Genus
Sansevieria
Species
Sansevieria hyacinthoides