Dracaena trifasciata 'Laurentii'
| Light | Bright, indirect light; tolerates some direct sun and, unlike plain green snake plants, needs decent light to keep the variegation vivid |
|---|---|
| Water | Sparingly; let the mix dry out fully between waterings, and water only lightly in winter |
| Soil | Free-draining, gritty mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Warm-preferring; keep above about 10 °C and away from frost |
| Propagation | Division of the rhizome (leaf cuttings revert — see below) |
| Toxicity | Mildly toxic to cats and dogs if chewed (saponins) |
Dracaena trifasciata 'Laurentii is one of the most widely grown snake plant cultivars, easily recognised by the bold golden-yellow bands running down the margins of its stiff, upright leaves. Those creamy-yellow edges frame the familiar dark green blade with its paler horizontal mottling, giving the plant a crisp, striped look that has made it a houseplant staple for generations. It is a variegated selection of the species Dracaena trifasciata (long grown under the name Sansevieria trifasciata), and its care follows that of the parent species.
Description
'Laurentii' produces the same erect, sword-shaped leaves as the species — thick, leathery and sharply pointed, growing from a stout underground rhizome and typically reaching anywhere from about 40 cm to a metre or so tall depending on conditions and age. What sets the cultivar apart is the variegation: each leaf carries a wide, clean band of yellow along both margins, enclosing the grey-green, horizontally banded centre.
The yellow margin is a chimeral trait — it lives only in the outer tissue layer of the leaf — which is why 'Laurentii' cannot be reproduced true from ordinary leaf cuttings (see Cultivation). Mature, happy plants may occasionally send up a spike of small, greenish-white, sweetly scented flowers, though blooming indoors is unpredictable.
Cultivation
Care is essentially as for the parent species, Dracaena trifasciata. Grow it in a free-draining mix, water only once the soil has dried right through, and err firmly on the side of underwatering — soggy compost and cold, wet winters are the main causes of rot in snake plants. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
The one point where 'Laurentii' differs in practice is light and propagation. Because the yellow margin is a fixed chimeral trait it will not simply turn green in poor light, but bright conditions do bring out the best colour: a plant held in a dim corner grows slowly and its variegation looks muted and low in contrast, so give it a brighter spot than you might a solid-green snake plant.
Crucially, the variegation will not come true from leaf cuttings: a leaf section rooted in the usual way regenerates from the inner green tissue and produces plain green pups without the yellow margin. To keep the 'Laurentii' pattern, propagate only by division of the rhizome, separating an established clump into pieces that each keep their own variegated shoots. See Propagation — offsets for the general approach to dividing rhizomatous plants.
See also
- Dracaena trifasciata — the parent species
- Dracaena — the genus overview
- Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Propagation — offsets · Propagation — cuttings