I had been seeing plastic versions of snake plants at Target. I thought they were beautiful and I wanted one of my own. However, I didn’t want a plastic plant—that defeats the purpose of buying one. However, I kept my eye out. Soon thereafter, I would find one at Trader Joe’s and it would join my collection. I was super excited to find that it is virtually impossible to kill the plant, and that it will do well even with some neglect. Now, it hangs out in my living room, enjoying the little direct sunlight that the room gets.
The Snake Plant refers to seventy or so variety of the plant. The most commonly kept one is the Dracaena trifasciata. They come from a variety of areas including India, South Africa, and Madagascar. Because of the vast variety of plants, it is hard to create a history, other than to say that the genus was named after Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero, a lover of plant horticulture in 18th century Italy.
This plant is another top air purifier, in fact it was placed on this list by NASA! This is because it can purify a list of toxins. These include Cardon Dioxide, Benzene, Formaldehyde, Xylene, Trichloroethylene, and Toluene. All of these examples can have negative effects that range from dizziness and shortness of breath to nervous system dysfunction and rare cancers when exposed for extended and constant exposure.
Caring for them is super basic. They enjoy porous pots and draining soils. Their roots are prone to rotting and that can kill them—but that is really the only thing that you have to worry about. You don’t want to over water them, however, you don’t necessarily need to worry about under watering them; they tend to be ok with having less water. They also like indirect sunlight, though they are also open to having a little more or a little less. But that is about it. Mine has been thriving since I brought it home several months ago. In fact, I can see a couple of smaller leaves starting to peep through the soil and join the rest of the plant. For me that is the most exciting part, when my plant begins to grow and I can see that they are happy in my home and my work is bringing in a bigger and prettier plant. That is something that I could never do with a plastic plant that I bought at Target.
Please note that these plants are toxic to both cats and dogs if bitten or consumed. Take this into consideration before bringing the plant into your house.
The Plant Basics 