It has been proposed by Pei-Luen Lu1 & Clifford W. Morden( in Phylogenetic Relationships among Dracaenoid Genera (Asparagaceae: Nolinoideae) Inferred from Chloroplast DNA Loci, Systematic Botany (2014), 39(1): pp. 90-104, DOI 10.1600/036364414X678035), that the genus Sansevieria should be transferred to the genus Dracaena. This treatment has not yet been taken up universally and so, for the time being, we are leaving Sansevieria as distinct. The proposed new name in Dracaena can be seen below in the list of synonyms.

Common Name: Bowstring Hemp

General Information

Bowstring hemp is a stemless evergreen perennial plant, producing succulent, erect, rigid leaves 15 - 45cm or more long and 25 - 80mm wide from a rhizomatous rootstock[]. The leaves can be up to 1.8 metres long[]. The flowering stem grows 45 - 75cm or more tall[].
The plant is gathered from the wild for the fibre obtained from its leaves. This is used locally. The plant is cultivated as a fibre crop in some parts of the tropics, especially tropical America[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Zaire, Angola, Namibia.

Habitat

Usually in shady places, in Brachystegia woodland on rocky hillsides, growing in sandy soils; at elevations from 500 - 1,100 metres[]

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[].
Annual yields of 5 - 11 tonnes of fibre per hectare have been postulated[].
The plant can spread freely at the roots.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A good quality fibre is obtained from the leaves[]. It is very bright, clean and strong[]. The fibre is suitable for making fine twines, and could also be suitable for making a spinning fibre[]. Fibres of up to 2 metres long can be obtained from the leaves[].

Propagation

Seed -
Division of the rootstock.
Leaf cuttings. Cut the leaf into sections about 5cm long, place in a 2:1 mix of sand and peat in a propagating case with a bottom heat of 18°c[].

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