| Protologue: |
Sansevieria 41: 11 (2019). |
| Subgenus: |
Sansevieria |
| Group: |
Sansevieria elliptica |
| Etymology: |
This species is named for Dr. Arturo Foresti, an Italian lawyer who retired to Kenya and who found the original plants (Foresti 731). |
| Distribution: |
Southwestern Kenya west of the Rift Valley with a range extending into northwestern Tanzania. |
| Brief Description: |
This species is acaulescent and rhizomatous with 1 - 4 decumbent to ± upright leaves in opposite arrangement. The leaves are stiff, oblanceolate, and 70-108 cm long by 14-22 cm wide and about 2 cm thick near the base. In cultivation in Nairobi, Kenya, the leaves were much longer, perhaps reaching a length of 4 - 5 feet in a well-shaded garden. The leaves have a smooth to slightly rough upper surface that is deeply grooved with a depth of 2 inches in the first roughly foot of length and flattened above with a shallow channel to the sharpened tip; the upper surface is pale green with numerous scattered dark-green blotches. The lower surface is slightly rough with more prominent blotches. The leaf margin is a thin red-brown line with a whitish edge that is slightly shredding. The inflorescence is simple and about 65 cm tall, making it one of the tallest in the S. elliptica group, and it has 5 flowers per cluster. |
| Similar Species: |
Sansevieria forestii is part of the Sansevieria elliptica group and as such bears strong resemblance to its other members. Geographically, it occurs well to the west of Sansevieria rugosifolia, which has similar-looking leaves but a shorter inflorescence and greater roughness on both surfaces of the leaves. Sansevieria nebrownii has more patterned leaves and a violet-tinged inflorescence; Sansevieria babatiensis is very similar. It is possible, given the similarity of these species with Sansevieria elliptica, that both could be reduced to subspecies status. |
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Sansevieria forestii at the type locality west of Narok, Kenya.
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Sansevieria forestii in flower at the type locality west of Narok, Kenya.
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Sansevieria forestii at a site near Nzega, Tanzania.
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