Sansevieria trifasciata Prain
Protologue: Bengal Plants 2: 1054 (1903).
Etymology: The epithet refers to some three-banded markings on the leaves.
Distribution: From Nigeria but it is widely naturalized world-wide.
 

Sansevieria trifasciata Prain var. laurentii (De Wildeman) N. E. Brown
Protologue: Revue de Cultures Coloniales 14: 231 (1904)
New Combination: Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, Kew 5: 240 (1915).
Etymology: This subspecies epithet honors Professor Emile Laurent, a French agronomist who collected plants in tropical Africa.
Distribution: Democratic Republic of the Congo but known only as a cultivated plant.
 

Sansevieria trifasciata Prain subsp. sikawae R.H. Webb & Barry Yinger
Protologue: Sansevieria 41: 2-4 (2019).
Etymology: This subspecies is named for Robert Sikawa, a Tanzanian tour-guide operator who found these plants.
Distribution: This subspecies is widespread in Tanzania and may also occur in Kenya and Uganda.
Subgenus: Sansevieria
Group: Sansevieria trifasciata
Brief Description of the Typical Species: This iconic acaulescent and rhizomatous species tends to have 1 - 2 (up to 6) erect, linear-lanceolate leaves that are 30-122 in height and 2.5-7 cm wide. The leaf petiole is channelled and the tip is blunt. The dominant characteristic of this species is its smooth leaves with alternating transverse bands that range from light dull green or clear whitish-green, to deep-green, to almost blackish-green, with an overall dark appearance. The inflorescence is 30-76 cm tall and simple with 3 - 8 flowers per cluster.
Brief Description of Variety laurentii: This subspecies differs from the typical species with yellow banding along its leaf margins. This is a periclinal chimera.
Brief Description of Subspecies sikawae: The leaves tend to be narrower than the typical species, although considerable variability in leaf width occurs in the field. The banding on this subspecies tends to be discontinuous across the leaf face. The inflorescence peduncle is yellow-green and has a zigzagging form, which also differs from the typical species.
Similar Species: Sansevieria trifasciata, with its iconic appearance, has numerous cultivars that can be confusing to sort out when compared with the typical species. The transverse leaf banding on this species, which the epithet refers to, is diagnostic and separates this species from the numerous other broad-leaf species in the genus. Among the many cultivars, a dwarf cultivar with short-wide leaves is known as `Hahnii,' and occasionally is referred to as variety hahnii, although this epithet has not been validly published. This cultivar has a number of cultivars with different leaf sizes, amounts of variegation, and shades of green. Subspecies sikawae once had the cultivar name of 'Slimmerette', which was described from a cultivated plant in Kenya.
 
 


Sansevieria trifasciata subsp. trifasciata flowering in cultivation.
 


Sansevieria trifasciata var. laurentii in cultivation.
 


Sansevieria trifasciata subsp. sikawae in habitat near Tabora, Tanzania, showing its characteristic zigzagging inflorescence peduncle.
 


Sansevieria trifasciata 'Hahnii' (or var. hahnii) in cultivation.