35 Types of Snake Plants Worth Growing

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Hahnii'

Sometimes referred to as the bird’s nest snake plant, the Hahnii is a mini cultivar of the popular Dracaena trifasciata species. This fast-growing succulent's name comes from the way the stemless leaves cluster together in a nest-like rosette.

• Synonym: Sansevieria hahnii
• Size: Up to 1.5 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with creamy white horizontal stripes
• Foliage shape: Flat and lance-shaped
  

Dracaena Angolensi

The African spear plant is a slow-growing succulent prized for its long, round stemless leaves which arch outward from its central crown. There's also a 'straight' cultivar, whose leaves stand upright to attention.

• Synonym: Sansevieria cylindrica
• Size: Up to 6 feet tall
• Foliage color: Gray-green, subtly striped
• Foliage shape: Stiff, cylindrical, long
  

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Laurentii'

When you think of snake plants, it's likely the easily-recognizable 'Laurentii' that comes to mind. Sometimes called the variegated snake plant or striped mother-in-law's tongue, this popular, hardy species stands out for its striking foliage patternation. And the sword-shaped foliage of snake plants suits Feng Shui fans as they are said to cut through negative energy.

• Synonym: Sansevieria laurentii
• Size: Up to 4 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with banded zigzags of lighter green and yellow edges
• Foliage shape: Flat, sword-shaped

Dracaena trifasciata 'Twisted Sister'

If you're looking for a compact snake plant for fitting on a small shelf, why not try the dwarf cultivar Dracaena trifasciata 'Twisted Sister'? It's another species with a bird's nest, twisting leaf growth habit.

• Synonym: Sansevieria 'Twisted Sister'
• Size: Up to 15 inches tall
• Foliage color: Yellow-gold and green variegation
• Foliage shape: Curvy, blunt edges
  

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Bantel’s Sensation'

The slender, tall, variegated foliage on this award-winning species adds a touch of elegance to any room. The white streaks on the leaves are why it is sometimes known as the white snake plant.

• Synonym: Sansevieria Bantel’s Sensation
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with white vertical stripes
• Foliage shape: Flat, pointy, smooth

Dracaena Pearsonii

This rare beauty, sometimes known as rhinograss, is hard to come by. They'll reward you with an attractive clump of vertical leaves if you're lucky enough to snag one.

• Synoynm: Sansevieria pearsonii or Sansevieria deserti
• Size: Up to 4 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green
• Foliage shape: Long, erect, ribbed

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Black Gold'

'Black Gold' is another widely available cultivar that collectors love because of the bright gold edging, which contrasts sharply with the dark green on the foliage. While too much direct sun will scorch the leaves, giving this plant enough bright but indirect light ensures the colors on the foliage stay vibrant.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Black Gold'
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green, bright gold chartreuse
• Foliage shape: Long, flat, sword-shaped

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Moonshine'

Sometimes referred to as the silver snake plant, this cultivar has stunning wide silvery-gray foliage (which are almost white when new) and has a similar growth habit to the 'Futura Robusta' cultivar. To make the most of the colours, you'll need to keep this plant in a bright but indirect light position. In shadier spots, the light leaves turn dark pretty rapidly.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Moonshine'
• Size: Up to 2 feet tall
• Foliage color: Silvery green with lighter green blotches and striations and narrow darker green margins
• Foliage shape: Upright inverted triangular

Dracaena Pethera

The star sansevieria is very slow-growing, so you'll need plenty of patience waiting for it to reach maturity. Unlike many snake plants, with their upright habit, this species' heavy, tough leaves start to droop to the ground as it matures.

• Synonym: Sansevieria kirkii
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with wavy reddish margins with white mottling on the mature plants
• Foliage shape: Flat, sword-shaped

Dracaena Patens

If you're looking for a less formal snake plant that doesn't have the distinctive upright growth habit, this is the species for you—the thick, stiff foliage fans out in random directions.

• Synonym: Sansevieria patens
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Bright green (turning bluish-green in maturity) with light green horizontal bands and white tips
• Foliage shape: Curls inward to create a deep groove

Dracaena Hanningtonii

It's no wonder this plant is sometimes called the sword sansevieria. It has thick, fibrous, pointy leaves that fan out attractively. The blueish tone of the grooved green leaves also means the plant is referred to as the blue sansevieria (although this shade fades as the plant matures).

While it is a larger snake plant species, it takes many years to reach its mature size.

The thick, pointy, fibrous leaves and their juice have been used as a natural antiseptic.

• Synonym: Sansevieria ehrenbergii
• Size: Up to 5 feet tall
• Foliage color: Bluish-green with reddish-brown and white margins
• Foliage shape: Wide, sharp-ended
  

Dracaena Zeylanica

Similar to the popular Sansevieria Trifasciata, this species has foliage that is almost olive in shade and features twisty, horizontal light green stripes.

• Synonym: Sansevieria zeylanica
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with lighter horizontal stripes
• Foliage shape: Upright, long, sword-shaped
  

Dracaena Parva

While it's a rare event for this snake plant to flower indoors, it gets its common name of the Kenya Hyacinth from the lovely fragrance of its flowers. And, if conditions are perfect, you might get lucky, as it does flower more regularly than many species in this genus.

Young plants have pale green horizontal bands on their foliage, but, even when the leaves move to a solid green when mature, their narrow, tapering shape still looks attractive as they fan out like a fountain. Look out for the variegated cultivar as this sports unique yellow-white stripes along the foliage.

• Synonym: Sansevieria parva
• Size: Up to 1.5 feet tall
• Foliage color: Bright green with pale green bands when young. Turn a plain deep green when mature.
• Foliage shape: Narrow, lance-shaped
  

Dracaena Ballyi

This small species has thin tubular foliage and a compact growth habit that gives it its common name of the dwarf snake plant. Plus, there's an even smaller cultivar called 'Minnie' that's perfect for fitting in the tiniest of spaces.

• Synonym: Sansevieria ballyi
• Size: Up to 6 inches tall
• Foliage color: Green with light-green bands and reddish-brown tips
• Foliage shape: Thin, cylindrical, rough, inward-curving

Dracaena Bacularis

With its tall tubular leaves, this plant is often confused with the more common Dracaena angolensi , but the leaves on Dracaena bacularis are thinner.

• Synonym: Sansevieria bacularis
• Size: Up to 6 feet
• Foliage color: Dark green with gray-green horizontal bands
• Foliage shape: Tall, cylindrical, rough

Dracaena Canaliculata

Another snake plant with cylindrical leaves, you won't confuse this with the Sansevieria cylindrica because the foliage grows individually rather than in clustering rosettes and it has distinctive grooves on the surface. This is a rare houseplant species, but if you're lucky enough to find one, look out for the variegated and dwarf varieties which are also available.

• Synonym: Sansevieria canaliculata
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with white tips
• Foliage shape: Cylindrical, usually upright but can curve slightly, grooves along the length, narrow tips

Dracaena Fernwood

This snake plant is a hybrid of Dracaena parva and Dracaena suffruticosa. It's sometimes confused with Dracaena bacularis, but the mature plant has denser but shorter foliage. You might also find it misnamed as Dracaena angolensis, but the fernwood has leaves with obvious vertical grooves.

• Synonym: Sansevieria fernwood
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with light green horizontal bands
• Foliage shape: Tall, thin, arching, and with a dense growing habit

Dracaena Angolensis 'Starfish'

One of the most unique-looking snake plants, this small cultivar has fat, stubby leaves that spread apart as it grows, developing a fan-shaped, striking starfish-shaped appearance.

• Synonym: Sansevieria Cylindrica var. Patula
• Size: Up to 1 foot tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with light grayish-green horizontal bands
• Foliage shape: Thick, tubular, firm

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Silver Queen'

This medium-sized Dracaena trifasciata cultivar stands out for the silver hues of its foliage.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Silver Queen'
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Silver-green with light green horizontal bands
• Foliage shape: Tall, flat, sword-shaped,

Dracaena pinguicula

The stubby, thick leaves of this rare succulent species mean it resembles an agave plant. It's unusual growth habit is the reason for the common name of walking sansevieria.

• Synonym: Sansevieria pinguicula
• Size: Up to 1 foot tall
• Foliage color: Greenish-blue with reddish-brown margins and tips
• Foliage shape: Sharp-spined, pointy, thick

Dracaena masoniana

Commonly known as the whale fin snake plant because of the unusually wide foliage, this species also has striking splotchy patternation. It's a rare beauty that's sure to stand out in your indoor plant collection—if you can manage to get your hands on one.

• Synonym: Sansevieria masoniana
• Size: Up to 4 feet tall
• Foliage color: Bright green, covered with light green blotches and reddish-brown to purple margins
• Foliage shape: Wide, thick, upright

Sansevieria Francisii

A unique snake plant featuring densely packed, cross-branding rows of foliage. Unfortunately, this spiky sensation isn't widely available, so you'll likely have to source from a specialist supplier.

• Synonym: Sansevieria francisii
• Size: Up to 2 feet tall
• Foliage color: Green with grayish-green horizontal stripes and brownish pointy tips
• Foliage shape: Short, tubular, stiff

Dracaena Concinna

If you give this rare snake plant species enough bright but indirect light, you'll be rewarded with its foliage developing into a unique spoon-shaped form.

• Synonym: Sansevieria concinna
• Size: Up to 1.5 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green
• Foliage shape: Oval, spoon-shaped

Dracaena Aubrytiana

Closely related to Dracaena pethera, this snake plant species is commonly known as father-in-law's tongue. The marbling effect on the glossy foliage is the exceptional feature.

• Synonym: Sansevieria aubrytiana
• Size: Up to 2 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with white splotches
• Foliage shape: Flat, sword-shaped

Dracaena Suffruticosa

Sometimes referred to as bowstrap hemp, this snake plant species has a central groove that comes halfway up the leaf. The long leaf becomes thin and cylindrical from there, extending to a spiky tip.

• Synonym: Sansevieria suffruticosa
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with pale lighter green bands and white tips
• Foliage shape: Thick, slightly arching, pointy tips

Dracaena Stuckyi

When mature, this tall species makes for a great specimen floor plant. It's also interesting to watch the development of this plant which changes color and shape as it matures.

The juvenile plant features flat green leaves that have horizontal dark green stripes and they fall in a fountain shape. Once the plant reaches maturity (this can take up to six years), the leaves become thinner, longer, and cylindrical with pointy tips. The foliage turns a paler green, loses the striping and develop vertical channels.

• Synonym: Sansevieria Stuckyi
• Size: Up to 6 feet tall
• Foliage color: Pale green when mature
• Foliage shape: Upright with circular crosssections when mature

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Futura Robusta'

This semi-compact snake plant cultivar's matte dark green foliage has eye-catching silvery-green blotches.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Futura Robusta'
• Size: Up to 24 inches
• Foliage color: Dark green with lighter green blotches and striations
• Foliage shape: Inverted triangular

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Black Robusta'

Not as fast-growing or vigorous as the likes of the 'Black Jack' cultivar, you can typically expect 3 to 5 leaves on your 'Black Robusta' plant. It stands out for its very dark green leaves with attractive silver patternation.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Black Robusta'
• Size: Up to 16 inches tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with mottled silver stripes
• Foliage shape: Inverted triangle

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Golden Flame'

Another dinky dracaena, the 'Gold' or 'Golden Flame' cultivar sports gray-green foliage that has yellow-gold patternation that looks similar to sparks from a fire.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Golden Flame'
• Size: Up to 18 inches tall
• Foliage color: Gray-green (turning dark green with age) and yellow-gold stripes
• Foliage shape: Upright, inverted triangle

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Whitney'

This dwarf snake plant cultivar has an average of four to five leaves per plant that form in a rosette shape. It's the irregular variegation on the wide margins that this variety is known for.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Whitney'
• Size: Up to 16 inches tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with pale green and dark green variegation on the margins
• Foliage shape: Upright, inverted triangle

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Black Jack'

A recently introduced cultivar, 'Black Jack' is a compact snake plant with a vigorous growth habit. The 'Black Gold Superba' is its larger parent variety. Expect around seven to 10 leaves to form like a rosette on this dinky specimen.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Black Jack'
• Size: Up to 15 inches tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with bright yellow-green margins
• Foliage shape: Wide, inverted triangle

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Futura Superba'

This compact snake plant cultivar tends to have three to five leaves per plant and the wide leaves grow with an upright habit in a rosette, inverted triangle shape.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Futura Superba'
• Size: Up to 15 inches tall
• Foliage color: Greyish-dark green with a substantial yellow margin
• Foliage shape: Straight and becomes reflexive with age

Dracaena Trifasciata 'Laurentii' Black Limon

'Black Limon' is a cultivar of the popular 'Laurentii' variety. The dark green leaves feature bright yellow margins, and there are typically three to five per plant. This cultivar is particularly known for its drought-tolerance.

• Synonym: Sansevieria laurentii 'Black Limon'
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with yellow edges
• Foliage shape: Upright, flat, long, sword-shaped

Dracaena Trifasciata Hahnii ‘Jade Pagoda’

This dwarf variegated snake plant cultivar has smooth, deeply colored foliage with stand-out wavy yellow margins. It might be small, but its striking variegation makes a big impact.

• Synonym: Sansevieria Jade Pagoda or Sansevieria Hahnii Jade Marginata
• Size: Up to 10 inches tall
• Foliage color: Dark green with irregular yellow margins
• Foliage shape: Broad, lance-shaped, flat, thick

Dracaena Trifasciata ‘Metallica’

The fine gray vertical lines that run up the long leaves of this rare, slow-growing plant make it unique.

• Synonym: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Metallica'
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
• Foliage color: Green with a distinct metallic silver hue, gray vertical bands and light green horizontal bands
• Foliage shape: Long, sword-shaped, stiff