Thanks for the link, Laura. I've read an older version of it, and still doesn't say anything about growing anywhere but FL, unless I missed it. Stush, since I could see the EA tag, I had assumptions about that one plant. Sorry if that wasn't clear from what I said, and for pointing it out so I could explain. It's hard to imagine shipping plants from China to be sold for a few dollars to be profitable. Those containers that ship so cheaply do so on ships that take weeks, then take time to be inspected, unloaded, get put on a train or truck to go to a warehouse for more sorting for shipment to individual stores. Maybe flying them would still leave room for profit at their prices, IDK, just seems unlikely to me. I'm curious too, you raise an interesting point.

Looks like you are right. It's a Agave desmettiana 'Variegata'. Not a sans...but very beautiful. I've been able to find out it has about the same watering requirements as Sanservieria.

TerraceTC, this could be one of many types. How tall are these leaves? Your leaves look rather thin and bendable, however kirkii leaves are quite thick and have a distinctive heavy 'keel' on the back side of the midrib, making them fairly rigid. I don't see this 'keel' on the reverse side of leaves in your pic. This could very well be a species called S. aubrytiana, given the pattern and width of the leaves. Google some pics of this species and see if it's a match other than the washed-out color of your plant. Aubrytiana is bright and cheery in correct light, in my opinion one of the more attractive of the tall, flat leaved species. Your sans appears to be in too much sun, being so light-colored. You might move it under a shady tree where it gets high light but no direct sun after 10 or 11 AM. I think in more shade you will find its colors will be much brighter and more beautiful. Interesting you are in India. While almost all sans are in Africa there are at least two species native to your country, one is roxburghiana. It comes from your Coromandel Coast if that's anywhere near you. The other is 'Bandipur', from the area of Bandipur, Ghats. Not wanting to appear like I have this location data stored in my own memory, it comes from the great sansevieria explorer, collector and hybridizer B. Juan Chahinian's book 'The Splendid Sansevieria'.

Hi I'm planning to import a sansevieria green mermaid to add to my personal collection. I've NEVER actually seen a green mermaid or heard anyone talking about it in my country and I know this is a more commom cultivar in the usa. (Unfortunately I can't import one from the usa bacause of my country's pest-related regulations, burrowing nematode <radopholus similis> to be exac.) I contacted an indonesian nursery and they say they have it and sent me this pic. the color pattern looks exactly like green mermaid, but I am not sure about the shape. The leaves should curve inward and not flat. I think this may be a banded nelsonii? Hope someoen here can help me ID it.