Agavaceae · Dracaena

Goddumanji / Snake Plant

Sansevieria trifasciata

Also known as Mother-In-Law's Tongue

HerbindoorCultivated
Habit
Herb
Found in India
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka & more
Flowering
Rarely flowers in cultivation

Plant Details

Scientific name
Sansevieria trifasciata
Genus
Dracaena
Family
Agavaceae
Habit
Herb
Habitat
Cultivated as ornamental; tolerates low light and drought
Habitat type
Cultivated
Native to
West Africa (Nigeria to Congo)
Distribution
Native to West Africa; cultivated globally
Found in India
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Telangana, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, Delhi, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab
Flowering & fruiting
Rarely flowers in cultivation
Conservation status
Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf arrangement
BasalrecordedLeaves cluster at the base of the plant rather than along a stem.Its stiff leaves grow vertically from a basal rosette. — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Leaf shape
Rigid sword-shapedrecorded

Typical of the family

Parallel venation leaf character
Venation
Parallel

Characters marked “recorded” are for Goddumanji itself; the rest are typical of the Agavaceae family.

Local Names

Mizo
Rullei
Kannada
ಗೊಡ್ಡುಮಂಜಿ Goddumanji, ಮಂಜಿನನಾರು Manjina naaru, ಹೆಗ್ಗುರಂಟಿಕೆ Heggurantike

About Goddumanji

A member of the Agavaceae family, Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and 18 other states. It is cultivated as ornamental; tolerates low light and drought. It rarely flowers in cultivation.

Uses

Locally it is planted as an ornamental and stripped for fibre used in rope and matting. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.

In culture

It turns up in ritual and festival use.

Illustration representing the Agavaceae family
Botanical family

Agavaceae

Agave Family

Goddumanji belongs to the Agavaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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