| Protologue: |
Flora of Tropical East Africa, Dracaenaceae: 33 (2007). |
| Subgenus: |
Sansevieria |
| Group: |
Sansevieria canaliculata |
| Etymology: |
This species is named for Dr. Horst Pfennig, a German industrial chemist who specialized in the genus Sansevieria and collected in East Africa. |
| Distribution: |
Southeastern Tanzania. |
| Brief Description: |
An acaulescent and rhizomatous species, Sansevieria pfennigii typically has 1 - 2 erect leaves that are slightly rough and cylindrical, reaching a height of 85 cm and a width of about 1 cm. The leaves are grooved longitudinally and are recurved near the base and near the apex, which is a blunt tip. The inflorescence is about 8 cm high. |
| Similar Species: |
Sansevieria pfennigii is recognizable for the longitudinal channels in the roughened leaves. Sansevieria canaliculata also has these channels but is a much larger species with slightly different floral characteristics. Sansevieria pfennigii probably should be considered a variety of S. canaliculata since they grow together at the type locality of S. pfennigii. No other species in the genus can be confused with these two species. |
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A stand of Sansevieria pfennigii at the type locality of Lake Rutamba west of Lindi, Tanzania (photograph by Bhwire Bhitala).
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A dispersed stand of Sansevieria pfennigii in the forest reserve east of Lake Rutamba, Tanzania. These plants have the light green color of Sansevieria canaliculata, which grows nearby, but the roughened epidermis of S. pfennigii.
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Sansevieria pfennigii in cultivation.
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