Mother in Law’s Tongue

Mother in Law’s Tongue (MILT)

 

Today’s plant is the Mother-in-Law's Tongue or MILT.

 

It is also known as Sansevieria Trifasciata and is a very popular house plant that originates from West Africa.

 

Native to Nigeria, Madagascar and southern Asia, it goes by other names such as viper's bowstring hemp, Saint George's sword, or snake plant. It is known as Saint George's sword or snake plant because of the shape and sharp margins of its leaves. It is also known as the viper's bowstring hemp because it is one of the sources for plant fibres used to make bowstrings.

 

 An architectural species, MILT features stiff leaves that range from six inches to eight feet tall, depending on the variety. I don’t know the variety of my MILT.

 

This is my second MILT which I bought in December 2019 because this house plant purifies air. I bought the first one in 2018 when I came to know that this perennial evergreen indoor plant, requiring minimal maintenance, is one of the best plants to keep in the bedroom. I bought it because I wanted to purify the bedroom air for a good night’s sleep. But the plant murderer in me killed it by overwatering! I killed even the aloe vera plant by overwatering!

But hopefully this MILT will be with us for a long time to come!