Sansevieria suffruticosa group

Borrow ideas from Sansevieria Journal 17/2007
By Stephen Jankalski

Sansevieria suffruticosa group

Leaves cylindrical (rarely laterally compressed), channeled on upper side for only part of their length from the base and terminating a sharp pointed apex. Plants often producing aerial runners. Basal leaf sheath with a reddish margin. Inflorescens an unbranched thyrse.


1. Sansevieria caulescens N.E. Brown. Kenya without precise locality
2. Sansevieria francisii Chahinian. Kenya, Coast Province. Horwood 432, ISI 1579
3. Sansevieria gracilis N.E. Brown. Kenya without locality
4. Sansevieria gracillima Chahinian. Somalia, Bay Province. Syn. Sansevieria gracilis var. somalensis
5. Sansevieria hargeisana Chahinian. Somalia, North-Central Region, WSW of Hargeisia. Lavranos 7382, GC 81029, PF 204, BG 61013. Syn. Sansevieria phillipsiae sensu Thulin
6. Sansevieria phillipsiae N.E. Brown. Kenya without precise locality
7. Sansevieria ‘McLoughlin’ Jankalski. Ethopia. Syn. Sansevieria phillipsiae sensu R.A. Dyer & E.A. Bruce, sensu Swinbourne. Not N.E Bown
8. Sansevieria suffruticosa N.E. Brown. Kenya. Syn. Sansevieria intermedia sensu Agnew.
9. Sansevieria suffruticosa var. longituba Pfennig. Kenya, Nairobi District, Nairobi River Falls.
10. Sansevieria suffruticosa ‘Frosty Spear’ Grigsby. Syn. Sansevieria suffruticosa ‘Blue Clone’ Chahinian.
11. Sansevieria ballyi Newton. Kenya, Kivuko Hill. Syn. Sansevieria ‘Bally 12681’, GC 44-81, Sansevieria ‘Bally 30’ (=Bally and Dodson 30), Sansevieria ‘Dimples’, Sansevieria Kenya #1 (Gl & F 71-629), Sansevieria sp. Wangala Station, near Voi, Kenya, Sansevieria gracilis hort. not N.E. Brown, Sansevieria tsavoensis Pfennig, Sansevieria humbertiana hort. not Guillaumin (Hermine Stover), Sansevieria gracilis var. humbertiana Mbugua.
12. sansevieria ballyi ‘Minnie’ Chahinian.selection with very short leaves. Syn. Sansevieria suffruticosa ‘Minnie’ hort, Sansevieria sp. Bura, Kenya (Rauh 29-132, PF 81, AWMB-1, BSWG 40208)
13. Sansevieria bella Newton. Kenya, Narok district.
14. Sansevieria bella ‘Mutomo’ Grigsby. Syn. Sansevieria suffruticosa ‘Mutomo’, Sansevieria aff suffruticosa ,Spiral-form’ Grigsby, Sansevieria ‘Twisted – form’ Grigsby. Sansevieria sp. Mutomo Grigsby.
15. Sansevieria ‘Tom Grumbley’ Newton. Kenya
16. Sansevieria ‘Kitonga’ Phillips. Tanzania, Kitonga Gorge, Iringa Province by Ernst specks (ES 425)
17. Sansevieria downsii Chahinian. Malawi, Nothern Region, Njakwa Bridge, over South Rukuru River, near Rumphi. Syn. Sansevieria aff. gracilis Downs, Sansevieria sp. Malawi (GC 126-78, HBG 61017, Seymour Linden 84-618), Sansevieria fruticosa hort. Not Blume. Similar to S. patens N.E. Brown but with spiraled leaves and producing aerial runners.
Note by Jankalski, … the species is better placed in the S. pearsonii group because the leaf channel runs the entire length of the leaf.