Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) Profile

Sansevieria cylindrica, also known asAfrican Spear Plant, is a succulent plant found naturally in southern Africa. Sansevieria cylindrica is praised for its cold tolerance, low light requirements, and ease of care, and Sansevieria shaped ica was no exception. Combining its decorative spiky appearance makes African Spear Plant a great choice for beginners and more experienced houseplant feeders.

Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) Picture

Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) Info

Botanical Name	Sansevieria cylindrica
Common Names	African spear plant, cylindrical snake plant, spear sansevieria
Plant Type	Succulent
Mature Size	4–6 ft. tall, 1–2 ft. wide
Sun Exposure	Full, partial
Soil Type	Sandy, well-drained
Soil pH	Neutral
Bloom Time	Sporadic

 

Ecological Habits of Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant)

The Sansevieria genus covers about 70 species of flowering plants, native to Africa, southern Asia, and Madagascar. One of the most popular houseplants related to Sansevieria Cylindrica is Dracaena Trifasciata, also known as the snake plant.
Sansevieria Cylindrica is a succulent plant that has dark green-gray and smooth subcylindrical leaves. Each leaf can reach up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) in height and 1.2 inches (3 cm) in diameter.
It is considered to be a slow-growing succulent, forming a few rosettes from underground rhizomes with at least 3 leaves each.
This species has a unique place among the other Sansevieria plants that have strap-shaped leaves. It is said that the subcylindrical characteristic feature specific to its leaves is caused by a failure in expressing genes.
These plants got the “spear” name due to the tips of their leaves that are protected by a tough and sharp point. Be careful not to break the spear because it may end the growth for it.
A mature, healthy plant will bloom sporadically, producing an up to 3 feet (90 cm) spike-like of cream-white flowers. While these are not showy and impressive, their fragrance is very pleasing.

Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) Distribution Area

Sansevieria cylindrica is a succulent plant native to Angola. It is an evergreen perennial plant forming dense stands, spreading by creeping rhizome, which is sometimes above ground, sometimes underground. These plants in the wild frequently form diffuse colonies.

How to Grow and Care for Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant)

How to Grow Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant)

• With Cuttings

You just need a few easy tips on how to propagate snake plants. While this plant prefers a growing medium that’s not waterlogged, developing its rooting system using water is one of the most facile methods known for yielding the best results during the whole propagation phase. For a tenable yield, you can use leaf cuttings to propagate the snake plant. Don't use leaves that look too old or have signs of rotting. Before dissecting the leaves from the mother plant, make sure they’re at least 6” inches long.  
You also want to keep taps with these other handy propagation tips:  
Use a sterilized pair of scissors to dissect a few healthy leaves from the mother plant.
The open wounds need to heal and form a callus that protects the newly propagated cuttings from catching diseases, so it’s essential to place them out in the sun for a couple of days.  
Place the base part of the cuttings in a jar full of water and wait for the baby roots to develop.
You can also propagate the cuttings using soil. Just remember to follow the tips right under the soil and transplanting section while preparing the potting mix.
If you're looking to propagate them using water, transfer the cuttings in a growing medium once the pups begin to emerge.   

• With Rhizomes

To propagate sansevieria cylindrica plants, understand they grow with rhizomes. They send off runners or offshoot that can be untangled and separated with a sharp knife or blade if you want to propagate the plant. Wait until the stalks of the plant are at least 6 inches tall before you separate the plants and pot them individually.

How to Care for Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant)

• Light

Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) can tolerate somewhat low light conditions, but Sansevieria cylindrica prefer some full sunlight along with bright filtered light.

• Soil

Drainage is crucial to keeping any succulent happy and this is no different for Sansevierias. Normal potting soil retains too much water and is not suitable unless mixed with sand and/or perlite to improve drainage.

• Water

Water thoroughly, then allow the potting mix to dry out before watering again. Temperature and Humidity
Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) is happy in places with temperatures between 15°C and 23°C and as low as 10°C for short periods. Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) will do fine in normal household humidity.

• Fertilizer

Feed Sansevieria cylindrica  once a month spring through fall with a fertilizer especially made for succulents, mixed at half the recommended strength.

• Pruning

Sansevieria cylindrica generally don't require pruning unless you want to do it for cosmetic purposes. However, if you notice a leaf turning yellow you can cut it at the base using pruning shears. More about how to grow and care for African Spear Plant. 

Uses of Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) 

The African Spear, like other Snake plants, is quite an illustrious houseplant due to its capacity to purify the air. You probably know better how harmful toxins or gases such as benzene, xylene, and formaldehyde could cause respiratory problems when inhaled. Usually, plants release carbon dioxide at night as they take in oxygen. So, placing most of them where you sleep could lead to suffocation. But that's practically not the case with the Snake plant. Instead, it adopts the Crassulacean Acid Metabolism carbon fixation during photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen at night.
And that literary means there's a constant supply of fresh air. It's no wonder why this biological property has over the years been used to treat Sick Building Syndrome. Clean air also helps get rid of foul odor in your house. While grooming your african spear plant, you’ll need to get rid of the dry and wilted leaves. Many adept gardeners, however, don't throw them away. Instead, they use the dry leaves as a source of fiber which is used to make ropes and craft jewelry.

Varieties of Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant)

Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Twisted Sister’: The Twisted Sister has curly leaves that grow in a warped pattern and have a yellow lining on the edges. It’s more like the dwarf type among most other varieties since the leaves only range between 12” to 15’ inches tall.  
Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Golden Hanhii’: The Golden Hanhii is also popularly known as the Bird’s Nest. This variety is a petite succulent with light green stripes that run horizontally on the leaves which form a striking rosette pattern as they grow older.  
Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Cleopatra’: This cultivar is one of the best options for indoor spaces such as your office, room, or balcony. While it’s hard to find this variety in the market, it’s one kind of an unfussy houseplant that grows at a slow pace but forms a striking rosette pattern if grown under the right conditions.
Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Black Gold’: The leaves of this popular perennial have golden-yellow stripes on the edges and grow sleekly tall to make the plant look winsome in any indoor setting.  
Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Futura Robusta’: This is a distinct type of mothers-in-law's tongue with leaves that have sleek stripes with an irregular shape. It grows compactly inside a small container and makes a delightful indoor accent.  

Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) Common Pests/Diseases

Sansevieria cylindrica is susceptible to vine weevils that eat away at the edges of the leaves. This can cause the plant a lot of irreversible harm. Get rid of the adult weevil with a neem oil soil drench. However, if the weevils manage to damage the roots significantly, the plant will probably be beyond saving.
Apart from vine weevils, be careful about overwatering plants so they won’t experience root rot or other fungal infections.
Be careful while handling plant as the tip of the leaves can be very sharp and cut skin if not handled with caution.
An African spear sansevieria plant growing in pots 10″ inches and larger can also become very heavy to move around.

Sansevieria cylindrica (African Spear Plant) Design Tips

Sansevieria cylindrica are a tall growing kinds very decorative in grouping, where they can be used to provide compact vertical contrast with different kinds of lower growing bushy or rosette-shaped plants. Its easy-going nature and tolerance of dry air and soil also make it a reliable office plant. The appearance of these plants is greatly enhanced by an attractive pottery container.
This plant can be used with equal effectiveness as an accent plant or in mass in planters or beds.