nischa, I made a mistake in calling 'Robusta' a hybrid. It's a variety of trifasciata which originated as a sport, or odd offset, probably from S. trifasciata. I like knowing the correct names too, but unfortunately each variety seems to have different names in commercial markets. Every wholesaler puts their own name on the same plant, which causes a lot of confusion in the buying public.

When you have room for more sans, give me a shout.

Okay, thanks for adding that. One would think there would be some consistency in the naming -- or at least there should be.

I am always very tempted by more Sans. Alas, I'm in Canada (southern Ontario) so that border nixes plant movement. But thank you anyway, if that was an offer of sharing. And if not, this can at least serve as an example of my imagination seeing what it likes.

It was an offer nischa. It's a bit too late in the year to share anyway, especially with your winter temps. I've traded plants all over the world, are your agriculture laws so very strict?

It is hit or miss. Got to take a chance. Most make it thru. Some are stopped and checked and through out.

Russ, thank you, and sorry for the ridiculously late reply. Though I've posted lots of things, I've never sent plants and have always been curious about how that's done. Do you send them upright in a plastic pot, or horizontal without a pot but with the roots wrapped in a moist cloth/plastic?

I don't know about the border's rules, but I heard about a grad student who was going to be studying here for a couple of years and brought her plants with her. When she headed back to the US, they wouldn't let her bring any of them back in. Lots of tears as she had to leave them behind and imagine them mulched, though I prefer to think the border staff took them home.

Stush -- interesting. I'd hate to think some are thrown out. Maybe I'll look up the rules affecting shipment of live plants.

I had bought one a few years ago. A mostly all dark green Sans. It was in with Black Futura 'Goldedge'. No yellow borders on this one. I didn't care for it too much and gave it to hijole = Greg who was looking for one. Haven't heard from Greg in some time. Hope he made the transition to Houzz. Lives in Calf. and has the most beautiful cactus gardens.

Thanks for the name info, Stush. Nice to know. I too hope your plant made it to its new home and has been happily thriving there. Funny how some plants charm us, and others not so much. It's an individual thing, isn't it? It's great when things go to where they are loved and wanted.

This sounds like possibly a 'black robusta' in my opinion. I have one and its solid dark green, and the size of the futura, Whitney, moonshine etc.

Thanks Sans man, where did your Black Robusta come from? You might know the problem already, there are many sans with many names. It's hard to know which are the official names and which are illegitimate names dubbed by different wholesalers and marketers. It was easy when Juan Chahinian's books The Trifasciata Varieties came out, you just looked it up from pictures and descriptions and there was the official name. But there are many varieties that have come along since it was published and now it's chaos out there.

I'll check out the Black Robusta name though, thanks for the tip.

Russ

Russ, sure thing! I stumbled upon my Black Robusta at lowes. I keep a close eye around every lowes in my city and I've only seen 2 or 3 black robusta sans in a long time of looking, so they aren't the most common in my area, which is a shame because I think they are super cool. If you check lowes enough you'll even find whitneys, Eve's, black jacks, black gold superba, etc., and they are actually pretty decent sized for around $10.00. I'll post pics of my sans tonite as I promised and that'll include my black robusta if you wanna get a look and see what it looks like :)

PS none of the sans at lowes are labeled as you mentioned, so you hit the nail right on the head.

Thanks in advance for pictures. I've seen Whitney's and the dark green Robusta-type at a Home Depot near me, they're in a large black pot at $9.99. I also check Lowe's and Walmart for the odd sansevieria. I'm pretty sure Black Gold Superba is not a good name, Black Jack probably not official either and it's a new one on me.

I've found beautiful Golden Hahnii plants for $4 at my Home Depot in the last few weeks. These have a little more green on leaves, which makes them quite a bit less water-sensitive than the usual Golden Hahnii's that I always seem to lose to rot. The extra green, especially on leaf edges, also adds to the contrast between green and yellow, so they're really pretty.

Russ

Russ, I'm glad you find such a great selection locally! Also, please excuse my use of incorrect names; what are the proper names for those varieties if you don't mind me asking? I'm pretty confused when it comes to the black and gold medium sized varieties... Also, the taller black gold variety, is it officially "black gold", "compacta", "laurentii compacta" or something else? I want to label mine correctly when I post pictures later :)

I just found an official patent on black jack, does that mean anything?

I'm not sure which variety you mean regarding taller black gold variety. Black Gold is the very dark version of the tall, regular species trifasciata. It has no variegation, no yellow edge. Odd, but that's what it is.

I'm trying to catch up with the names of newer commercial offerings, but seeing the same one under different names from different sellers makes it difficult. Where is Chahinian when you need him... :)

Compacta is an old variety, a mid-size version of Laurentii, but taller and less width than the Futura tribe. Compacta is recognizable by the yellow margins having a slightly greenish-yellow color where dark bandings in the center would cross the margin. I think I've got that right without having one to look at right now.

I'm pretty sure Laurentii Compacta is a bogus name.

Midnight Shine is of Futura stature and width, has dark green leaf interior with no visible bandings, and a medium-wide yellow margin. Actually, the plant in question earlier, the dark Robusta-type with no banding, is Midnight Shine without the yellow edge. If one would propagate leaves of Midnight Shine it would produce our plant in question. I'm thinking that logically the name should be simply Midnight, but names don't necessarily follow logic.

Look forward to your pics, hopefully I or someone else can help you with names.

Russ

I forgot to mention Black Jack, I suppose if you found a patent for it then it must be a legit name. But has any seller sold it with another name on it to avoid patent royalties? That's the question, and if so, it means more name confusion out there. If you have a Black Jack, I'm looking forward to see what it looks like.

Russ

Russ, awesome! Thank you sooooooo much for taking the time to help me understand this crazy web of sansevieria names lol. So I believe mine is compacta; I'm working on taking the pictures right now! Almost done! Also, I now realize what I call black coral is actually black gold technically, something I've been a little suspicious of recently having seen some information regarding this name :) so now since you confirmed it I can call it the correct name! Thank you :) also, the only blackjack I have is comprised of only 2 leaves, so it's about to tip the scale into the garbage if it keeps this nonsense up lol.

Thanks for your comment way up above (from yesterday), Sans Man, and for all the subsequent ones. Russ, too. It's very interesting to read. I admit that snippets like "now it's chaos out there" and "this crazy web of sansevieria names" really resonate with me. I normally like (maybe even need?) to know what things are called, but I may have to relax that requirement with Sans (I'll think of it as personal growth) and do my best but otherwise just enjoy the plants. Well, I say that now, but I'll probably ask again in the future about another variety ...

Nischa, thank you for the kind words! I know exactly what you mean, I NEED to know every name of every plant even if I promise myself I won't look it up, or ask. However, feel free to ask me any naming questions you have and I'll attempt to answer them the best I can, IF I can. We are all still learning, so I might just happen to know one name that could possibly help in identifying a particular plant, and someone else may know a name to help identify another plant. Wish you the best, Sans Man.

Thank you so much, Sans Man. It's nice to know I'm not alone, both in my love of Sans (my bf says alien things like: "But you already have 5!") (only because I gave away 4) (which wasn't easy!) and in my need to know all the names! This forum makes me feel like I'm among family, even though I mostly just lurk because there's not much I can add to the tremendous body of expertise here.

Next time, I'll make sure I get a photo.

All my best to you, too! :)

You are very welcome! :) ouch! Giving away sans?! That sounds like it hurt! And there's no such thing as too many sans, however there is such a thing as too many other house plants, the only reason I know this is because my house reached that limit lol. But there's always room for another sans. Also, this forum is full of some of the nicest people I've met, and I'm sure that they would appreciate every bit of information, insight, or questioning that you have to offer!

Yup, it hurt and I sometimes still fantasize about how I might try reclaiming the big one (a happy, healthy "Eve"). It's just that my place is small (i.e. only so much window real estate) and he loved and wanted it (and cares enough to follow instructions) so it seemed like the right thing to do. But clearly my love of Sans isn't purely a rational thing.

I will be quoting this: "there's always room for another sans", prefaced by "look what the experts say". It will come in handy.

A lovely bunch of people indeed. Thanks for the invitation. I do have a question or two to ask, but I want to snap a couple of illustrative photos first. Hopefully soon.

If I were you I'd reclaim that "Eve" immediately lol. Also you can start using grow lights once you have no more window space lol. Place spread that quote as far and wide as possible, the world needs the truth! Hahaha. I look forward to helping answer your questions.

PS I just posted my entire collection in a separate post, and the aforementioned "Black Robusta" is close to the top of the page if you wanted to see a picture of what one looks like.

I'd love to see your collection. Can you post a link?

Funny that you mention grow lights, because my question has to do with the sans (futura superba) maybe not getting enough light. I'm noticing that new growth is narrower near the base, and grows taller (old growth wider and shorter). They're in an east-facing window, which is my only option, but a bit below the sill level. I'm going to try and raise them, for which I'd need to rig something, but if that doesn't increase the light they receive enough, I'll be looking for what else I can do.

PS: One of the benefits of giving away sans is the real possibility of creating and cementing converts. The recipient of Eve never particularly liked sans (imagine!), but after some exposure to me began to see their beauty and warmed to them. When I asked him to take care of Eve while I was away, he was very happy to, and grew to love it. So I gifted it to him. I've since said a number of times that if he ever doesn't want it I'd be happy to have it back, to which his response is a firm: no, I want it. So now there is one more sans fan in the world. My insidious plan.

It's actually the post below this post :) but here's the link for ease:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3549905/my-entire-collection?n=9

I totally agree, more light should solve the issue. East windows are pretty good lighting, but sometimes it just doesn't cut it. Hopefully raising them solves it though, because I personally hate having to buy lights just for my plants lol. But sometimes you've gotta do what's best for the plants haha.

Thanks. I'm still finding my way around houzz. Off to check take a peek now. :)

Will raise them as soon as I can rig something, and see how that goes. Crossing my fingers.

Hahaha nice. I have started spreading the word of sans like its a religion lol. My relatives are starting to catch on, including my 5 year old nephew because he can't keep any other plant alive lol.

Get 'em young. An excellent approach.

Absolutely! I had to buy it for him because his mom (my sister) was skeptical of the magical capabilities of sans haha.

What a delightful collection!! All beautiful and happy looking. I love the car accident story. Can't believe that not a single leaf or tip broke. I hope you came out of it as undamaged as that lovely sans -- an inspiration in surviving hardship.

lol! With you on one side and him on the other, she'll come around.

Thank you for the kind words about my collection! And everyone was surprising dismissed with a clean bill of health after the accident, including the sans, however a lucky bamboo didn't end up being so lucky itself, but maybe it's the reason everyone else was okay! It goes to show that sans really are plants of steel lol.

Glad no one was injured. Lucky bamboo was a small price to pay.

What exposure windows do your sans normally live in? -- assuming you don't have a dozen washing machines.

Thank you :) and unfortunately, I only have one washing machine lol. They actually live in my basement with a south and west window up near the ceiling. They have learned to live with minimal light during the winter, but during summer they get to vacation on the north side of my house and they LOVE it. The only downside is trying to get any black widows out of them when the cold season returns lol.

This was taken around 10:30 in the morning, and that's the most light they receive all winter.

Interesting about the light, and how they're just fine in a basement most of the year. Mine are in an east window (with the soil level about 6" below the sill) and are showing clear signs of not getting enough light. Some of the leaves are curling outwards, too, which I think is a sign of underwatering. So I may have Sans that need lots of light and like a fair amount of water. A bit surprising, but the signs are clear.

What a great photo. They look so lush!!

Sometimes they just take a while to get used to low light. Bantel's Sensation needs more light than others, but I've gotten it used to lower light as well. Are the leaves on your sans becoming wrinkled? That's generally the main sign they exhibit when thirsty. I only water once a month AT THE MOST. Usually about 2 or 3 months in between.

I did that with my Eve, and the leaves got wrinkled and bendy. I slowly increased watering, and when I got to watering every two weeks the plant was happy: leaves firm and not wrinkly. I know it sounds like a lot (I spent a year watering it once every two months) but I went by how the plant itself was responding. It's in a fast-draining cactus mix, with several large drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. (The new owner is following my regime and the plant is thriving.)

The Futura Superbas aren't wrinkly, but the leaves are curling outwards and the soil is drawing away from the sides of the pots (simple plastic growers pots). I water them every 3 weeks or so. I've had the Futura Superbas for 6 months -- sufficient time to adjust?

Sounds like you have the perfect watering regimen if the plant seems happy! I guess it really depends on each specific plant, location, and many other factors. I gradually decreased the light my plants got until they were in a completely dark room for a few weeks, then I moved them to my low-medium light permanent winter location and they are thriving! They are just happy to get more light than they were in the completely dark room. That's how I adjusted my plants if that helps you any :)

It surprises me how individual sans can like/need different amounts of light and water, but I guess the key word there is individual. Did yours suffer no ill effects from being in complete darkness for weeks? That sounds like an interesting process, and they're clearly happy now. Very interesting to hear about.

Get a load of this trifasciata, from a German website.

Russ

Sorry kids, couldn't add the pic. I'll try to post it again in a bit.

Nischa, my plants didn't really struggle all that much surprisingly! My black coral/gold (the bigger one) lost a couple of leaves from it but has since recovered. The black coral/gold sans seems to be more picky than the Bantel's Sensation to me! Weird lol. It's just overly sensitive to everything haha. I didn't water any sans AT ALL during that time period, and they were kept cool as well as dark. I noticed a lot of root growth after this stay in the cool and dark for some odd reason, not really sure why.

Russ, I'm anxious to see a picture of the German sansevieria! I hope it'll let you post it! I'll keep checking in to see if it works :)

Interesting about the extra root growth. I have to admit, I'd never consider leaving my plants in total darkness for weeks. You're an intrepid experimenter. Glad they survived -- it's a testament to their resourcefulness. What a great plant the Sans is.

My bf has a pothos that he found thrown out in a corner of an underground parking garage years ago, virtually dead. It came back but when I met him, he had it far from the window and it was yellowing and stringy. I repotted and moved it, and now it's lush, enormous and gorgeous. We're both quite attached to it, not least out of respect for its sheer determination. It's amazing the abuses (some) plants can withstand. Plants are magical.

It's true! Some plants shrivel up to nothing if exposed to the smallest amount of neglect, but some plants will do anything to stay alive; I find them so interesting! That's a very inspiring story about the pathos! Those plants are indescribable, and they don't get the attention they deserve in the houseplant world! Very easy to root in water as well. (As you know)

I totally agree that they don't get the attention they deserve! I love the hardy, tenacious types. I don't have an incredible amount of patience for the ultra-delicate, super-finicky plants, but I have love and respect for the flexible ones that will try hard to survive. It makes me want to help them, provide them with the conditions optimal for them to thrive. Then again, I like wildflowers more than cultivated roses.

I'm a sucker for roses though :) but I totally agree, if a houseplant doesn't want to survive with my care, then they can see themselves right out the door! I like to take hardy plants and give them a little love and they show more appreciation than fickle plants :) I'm not gonna go out of my way to keep a fickle plant surviving when I could have a hardy plant thriving! (Feel free to use that quote lol)

I won't hold the roses against you. ;) Yeah, I've had and given away a lot of plants. People usually bring them to me when they're failing. I get them up and running again, and when they're strong I'm happy to re-home them (only to a good home, though). But the sans are staying put, as is the pothos. Also a couple of little haworthias rescued from near death that are going gangbusters now. They ask so little (basically just not to be drowned).

Sometimes I want to rescue all the plants!