Sansevieria zanzibarica (robusta) : 3 years in the life

Use this forum to discuss matters relating to Beaucarnea, Calibanus, Cordyline, Dasylirion, Dracaena, Nolina, Sansevieria and related species.

Moderator: Spination

User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Sansevieria zanzibarica (robusta) : 3 years in the life

#1

Post by Spination »

I don't know if this ID is correct, but I haven't been able to refute it to date. It's the name it came with, and although there's no individual treatment in The Splendid Sansevieria, it is on a "list of published Sansevierias" (pg. 169) therein. There is precious little info out there to find on the net, and resources for Sansevieria information are scarce.

Day one - right out of the box, from a seller in Indonesia. I was the only bidder, and quite sure I stole this plant for only $15, which I am reasonably certain was because it was the seller's very first Ebay listing, and I was the only one apparently willing to take a chance buying from a new seller. Glad I did, it is one of my favorite plants.
2013 09 16 Sansevieria Zanzibarica Variegated a.jpg
2013 09 16 Sansevieria Zanzibarica Variegated a.jpg (132.87 KiB) Viewed 9086 times
One year later to the day
2014 09 16 Sans zanzibarica a x750.jpg
2014 09 16 Sans zanzibarica a x750.jpg (225.18 KiB) Viewed 9086 times
And almost another year later
2015 08 08 Sans zanzibarica b X750.jpg
2015 08 08 Sans zanzibarica b X750.jpg (247.01 KiB) Viewed 9086 times
Today - another year later. Did I mention how much I like this plant? The pic doesn't do the plant justice. That spear on the right is 14" long, those 2 largest leaves from tip to tip - 16 1/2" apart. It's getting big. :U
2016 08 30 Sansevieria zanzibarica Variegated #1 a X750.jpg
2016 08 30 Sansevieria zanzibarica Variegated #1 a X750.jpg (168.78 KiB) Viewed 9086 times
Additionally, the whole nature and character of the plant is changing. From a rosette, to something spiky and more impressive looking.
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#2

Post by Spination »

I finally was motivated enough to temporarily move out some Sans, for inspection and a good soaking, and took the opportunity to take fresh pictures of this plant. I tend to stash plants together, and some become hard to access, so they get locked in where they are, and not so easy to photograph. It's all good though, because my experience is that when plants are happy where they are situated, not much good usually comes from moving them around.
It's a lot bigger than it looks in the pic, a couple of feet across now.
Unlike many of my Sans under my care, this one has shown no evidence of offsetting so far, even though it is one of a few I've had the longest. It's one of the more unique looking ones, with it's new spiky form and getting larger, and it's coloring is very striking, much more so than when it was a small rosette. It almost looks like 2 plants, a somewhat differently shaped and variegated one coming out of the original.
2016 10 02 Sansevieria zanzibarica Variegated b X750.jpg
2016 10 02 Sansevieria zanzibarica Variegated b X750.jpg (288.57 KiB) Viewed 9065 times
2016 10 02 Sansevieria zanzibarica Variegated c X750.jpg
2016 10 02 Sansevieria zanzibarica Variegated c X750.jpg (262.72 KiB) Viewed 9065 times
User avatar
Viegener
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 1168
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2015 1:34 pm
Location: Los Angeles, Sunset z23
USDA Zone: 10b

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#3

Post by Viegener »

It's a beauty. I've been trying to resist the Sansevierias since I'm still in the thick of my Agave obsession. But on the other hand, the list of agaves I still want is getting shorter & I now have about 130 varieties, not counting duplicates!
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#4

Post by Spination »

I hear what your saying, and there's no denying that Agave are more suitable for growing here north of the equator, as that is where and how they evolved. It's not so much like trying to swim upstream, against the current, so in that sense, Agave is a more sensible choice for collecting in the northern hemisphere. Sansevieria, although agave-like, evolved under a different set of conditions. They rarely see temps much below the 50s F, let alone freezing. A cold winter day in July in Tanzania might hit as low as 15 C (59 F), but these winter days also coincide with the dry months as well. In other words, these plants in general are not well suited for cold temperatures at all really, and the double whammy is that our cold temps coincide with wet/rain, which is the exact opposite of what these plants deal with naturally. The bottom line for me is that they require special care to flourish and excel, which translates to the need to artificially control their conditions (heat and dry to counter our typical winter conditions).
Given the near requirement of growing the majority of them with special care (greenhouse), I limit my interest to the more rare plants, almost exclusively variegates. If I'm going to put extra effort into growing something which is not naturally suited for northern hemisphere cultivation outdoors, I'd rather limit my efforts to plants I find very worthwhile with extra appeal.
I'd still characterize myself as mainly an Agave nut, but also now heavily invested in Aloe/Gasteria/Haworthia, and a fringe interest in these most interesting Sansevieria plants (OK, I like the terrestrial Bromeliads too - Dyckia). A big plus is they are not monocarpic, and one could keep a nice specimen growing indefinitely, so long as the plant remains happy, with the added bonus that the plants become only more awesome over time.
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#5

Post by Spination »

New photo
Each new leaf seems to want to surpass the last...
2017 05 28 Sansevieria zanzibarica b X800.jpg
2017 05 28 Sansevieria zanzibarica b X800.jpg (389.32 KiB) Viewed 8940 times
jayhouseplant
Rhizome
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:51 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#6

Post by jayhouseplant »

Wow you have a lot of variegated sans! Any recommendation on where to get them?
Brooksphilly
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2017 12:35 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#7

Post by Brooksphilly »

Beautiful. Thank you for documenting the progression for us.
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#8

Post by Spination »

Thank you. One of my first of the variegated Sans, and one of the most rewarding, having grown so much from when I got it as a rather small plant.

Jayhouseplant - As far as I know, the best source for these variegates is online - from the Thailand sellers. Ebay is a great venue as the sellers there in order to maintain good feedback scores have to abide to a high level of customer satisfaction. I've never had a single issue buying from them. I do make sure that they either come with a Phytosanitary Certificate (sometimes provided for free), or that the cost is reasonable (extra $15 or so). It's cheap insurance to make sure the plant is not confiscated, and it's all done legally. From Thailand come the coolest variegates, but I won't buy from a seller that can't provide a Phyto. The rate of inspection entering the U.S. from SE Asia in my experience is well over 90%, and if there is no certificate, you will never see the plant. The variegates aren't cheap, so the risk of saving a couple of bucks forgoing the Phyto isn't worth losing them.

I think they are the premier source for these because they have ideal year round tropical growing conditions, and the cost of running big nurseries to grow them there is comparatively reasonable.
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#9

Post by Spination »

New pic a few months after the last, and still growing strong. New leaf look nice and stripey. Well overdue for a new pot, but not going to mess with it again until spring.
2017 08 20 Sansevieria zanzibarica a.jpg
2017 08 20 Sansevieria zanzibarica a.jpg (144.23 KiB) Viewed 8825 times
2017 08 20 Sansevieria zanzibarica b.jpg
2017 08 20 Sansevieria zanzibarica b.jpg (123.2 KiB) Viewed 8825 times
jayhouseplant
Rhizome
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:51 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#10

Post by jayhouseplant »

Spination, I notice you're from California. Do you have any experience buying from overseas (Indonesia specifically)? The seller said she provides photo sanitary certificate. I've also spoken to one of her previous customers (located in Wisconsin) and she said she did not have any problems. However, I heard California, Arizona, and Hawaii are very strict when it comes to importing plants. Any thoughts?

P.S. Thanks for your reply and for the update! You've inspired me to grow my sans collection!
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#11

Post by Spination »

Glad to help increase the Sans collecting enthusiasm.

Yes, a few of my Sans came from Indonesia. Whether from Thailand or Indonesia, the regulations are the same. As long as there are 13 or fewer plants in the package (I usually limited my acquisitions to only a few at a time), all you need to be in full compliance with law is the Phytosanitary Certificate. With Sansevieria, there are no species that are CITES protected, so you don't have to worry about a CITES Certificate. All Aloes require a CITES certificate as well, and only 2 or 3 Agave species (A. victoriae reginae and A. parviflora are two of them), but zero of the Sansevieria species). The reason for keeping the # of plants to 13 or fewer is because then you are not subject to additional laws which would define you as an importer. From what I've heard about that, you don't want to go there... As a private individual, you can import a limited # of plants without being officially classified as an importer, and so long as the required accompanying paperwork is with the plants, everything is legal. In the case of Sans, you only need the Phyto.

With the seller and situation you described, you should have no problem.
jayhouseplant
Rhizome
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:51 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#12

Post by jayhouseplant »

Hey Spination,

Thank you for your insight and sharing your experience. I didn't even think about the max number of plants I can import. I tried to look it up on https://www.aphis.usda.gov" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; but I didn't see any specifications on the number of plants you can import. Do you have a resource for this by any chance? I probably will import about only 10 different plants, but just for future reference.

Nevertheless, I'll go ahead with the purchase from the Indonesian supplier. Once I get the package, I'll go ahead and post here. :))
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#13

Post by Spination »

It's been years since I read through the reams of government website pages of information. I haven't been able to locate upon quick perusal the pages that I recognize... however, I was able to find this unfamiliar page after a few minutes.
PPM - 2nd paragraph
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail ... t-products" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
On this page, the # given is 12 (so did I mis-remember or did it change? :huh: )
There was a more official document I recall reading that was not just a fact sheet, but I'll check further later.
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#14

Post by Spination »

Ah, OK... I see where I got that 13 from. The link I gave you is from CBP, and I believe the info I had read a few years back was found through APHIS webpage info. The page I linked above was still open on my browser, so I read down a bit further before bothering with additional searching:
"Twelve or fewer plants are inspected by CBP at the first port of entry. Thirteen or more plants will be inspected by APHIS personnel at the nearest Plant Inspection Station. If the officer finds plant pests that could cause harm to other plants, or if the plants do not meet entry requirements, they will be refused entry. This means you must forfeit the plants, which will either be destroyed or returned to the country of origin."

The other info also on that webpage is all you need to know to successfully order plants from your Indonesian seller.

Not sure why 2 different agencies would be responsible for inspection based on the difference between 12 plants and 13, but mine is not to reason why... I always keep my purchases under 10 (usually 4-6) anyway. As such, that corresponds to my experience in that my packages have always been opened by CBP, and after they are done, they tape the box closed with Homeland Security USCBP green tape, as shown below, and release the package so it can be forwarded onward to the addressee.
2014 10 17 Sans cylindrica Variegated a a.jpg
2014 10 17 Sans cylindrica Variegated a a.jpg (22.11 KiB) Viewed 8775 times
jayhouseplant
Rhizome
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:51 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#15

Post by jayhouseplant »

Thanks! I ended up buying only 6 plants since I recently found some from a nursery in San Diego.
Stan
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5688
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2015 12:58 pm
Location: Hayward ca/SF bay area
USDA Zone: 10a

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#16

Post by Stan »

Its out of my zone for growing..but I can see why its a favorite. Thats a show winner for sure.
Hayward Ca. 75-80f summers,60f winters.
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#17

Post by Spination »

Was not looking forward to squeezing this plant out of it's locked-in spot to get it in a much needed and overdue larger pot, and was going to wait for spring... oh well, got it done today.
Cramped quarters!
2017 09 30 Sansevieria zanzibarica a.jpg
2017 09 30 Sansevieria zanzibarica a.jpg (143.02 KiB) Viewed 8665 times
top view - that leaf reaching out the right is 20" long...
2017 09 30 Sansevieria zanzibarica b.jpg
2017 09 30 Sansevieria zanzibarica b.jpg (93.73 KiB) Viewed 8665 times
Better!
2017 09 30 Sansevieria zanzibarica c.jpg
2017 09 30 Sansevieria zanzibarica c.jpg (135.64 KiB) Viewed 8665 times
User avatar
Azuleja
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 1776
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 9:23 am
Location: CA | Zone 9a | Chaparral

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#18

Post by Azuleja »

Wow, this is becoming interesting as your plants reach specimen size and your greenhouses stay the same. 🤔

That's one happy, strong looking plant. Did it make a 180° spiral turn and then stop or is it still twisting?
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#19

Post by Spination »

It started as a rosette, then I believe was en route to making a fan. It took me some time to realize than moving them in a new position in relation to the sun appears to subsequently change the orientation of the fan's plane/axis - so the net effect of what you're seeing in the pics I believe is just that. After repotting, I made sure to orient it back in the same exact direction N S E W so I expect the fan that's forming should continue as it has been most recently (or so I hope ::wink:: ).
Marlon Machado
Offset
Posts: 107
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:55 am

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#20

Post by Marlon Machado »

Really nice plant Tom! Be aware this is also one of those species that can grow to enormous sizes - S. zanzibarica is a synonym of S. robusta, and this is one of the biggest Sansevieria species with leaves up to 6 feet long :shock:
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#21

Post by Spination »

Thank you.

Wow, you don't know how many times I've looked trying to find info on S. zanzibarica - and now here I've learned more about it from your reply than all the times I've looked combined. Thanks for that info on S. robusta!

I'm going to change that name tag, and just keep in mind for the future whenever I see zanzibarica, that it's the same thing.
Here's another zanzibarica I got... but hasn't taken off growing yet.
2016 07 27 Sansevieria zanzibarica Variegated #2.JPG
2016 07 27 Sansevieria zanzibarica Variegated #2.JPG (153.24 KiB) Viewed 8529 times
And a robusta
2017 08 26 Sansevieria robusta a.jpg
2017 08 26 Sansevieria robusta a.jpg (73.86 KiB) Viewed 8529 times
And a different robusta - advertised as 'Chunky'. Is that a legit difference (Chunky), or in time will I find it will look like any other robusta?
2017 08 25 Sansevieria robusta Chunky a.jpg
2017 08 25 Sansevieria robusta Chunky a.jpg (81.25 KiB) Viewed 8529 times
Funny too, I have another robusta on the way from Thailand.

Looks like I'm going to have a lot more of the same thing than I thought. :lol: The nice thing though is that every variegate is different. :U

Also, knowing that these are all going to get quite big, it's nice to know the immature rosettes I have will still have several years to go before finding room for them becomes a problem. :red:
Marlon Machado
Offset
Posts: 107
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:55 am

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#22

Post by Marlon Machado »

Hello Tom, nice collection of robustas! I only have one variegated robusta, but I have a few different clones of normal green plants. Each is slightly different from the other. And since robusta is widespread in the wild, I guess some variation is to be expected. The plants usually identified as zanzibarica are dark green in color, with leaves of average thickness. Other clones are dull-green to glaucous bluish, and in my experience, the bluer the plant usually the thicker its leaves are. One of the clones I grow is PF 195, which has the thinnest leaves of all robusta I grow. See in the site below pictures of it:

http://www.sansevieria-pfennig.eu/Pf015 ... 200195.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The site http://www.sansevieria-pfennig.eu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is a good reference for the plants collected by Pfennig.
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica : 3 years in the life

#23

Post by Spination »

Thanks for the additional info and for the Pfennig link. I've not seen that one, so will be fun to check it out. Yes, I've noticed Sans are quite popular in Germany. There's sanseverix dot com, also a German website.
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica (robusta) : 3 years in the life

#24

Post by Spination »

And the new arrival. I guess with this addition, and now knowing zanzibarica = robusta, I think I have a sufficiently robust variety of S. robusta. That's it for these, no more!
2017 11 07 Sansevieria robusta Variegated #3 e.jpg
2017 11 07 Sansevieria robusta Variegated #3 e.jpg (60.81 KiB) Viewed 8500 times
2017 11 07 Sansevieria robusta Variegated #3 f.jpg
2017 11 07 Sansevieria robusta Variegated #3 f.jpg (50.18 KiB) Viewed 8500 times
User avatar
Spination
Ready to Bolt
Posts: 5266
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:06 am
Location: Sonoma, Ca.

Re: Sansevieria zanzibarica (robusta) : 3 years in the life

#25

Post by Spination »

Just about 6 years from the beginning with this one, and it now has a fair sized rhizome propagate as well.
2019 07 04 Sansevieria zanzibarica #1 _ aka robusta a.jpg
2019 07 04 Sansevieria zanzibarica #1 _ aka robusta a.jpg (202.73 KiB) Viewed 7933 times
Post Reply