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  மருள் செடி

மருள்- காது பிரச்சனைகளுக்கு உகந்தது. பயங்கரமாக ஜலம் வந்தால் இதனை சிறிது அனலில் காட்டி பிழிந்து இதன் சாறை ஊற்றலாம்.

Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Sansevieria trifasciata, also snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue, is a species of Sansevieria, native to tropical West Africa from Nigeria east to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Snake Plant has green banded leaves, while the Mother-in-Law's Tongue features a yellow border. These plants are among the toughest of all houseplants—they can withstand virtually any conditions, from dark to bright. The only way to surely kill them is to over water or never water at all.

It is commonly called the snake plant (not to be confused with the very similarly named "Snakeplant", Nassauvia serpens), because of the shape of its leaves, or mother-in-law's tongue because of their sharpness. In China, it is known as hǔwěilán (虎尾兰, Tiger's Tail Orchid). In Japan, it is called 'Tiger's Tail,(とらのお）'. In Brazil, it is commonly known as espada-de-são-jorge (sword-of-saint-george). In Turkey it is known as Paşa Kılıcı (The Pasha Sword) due to its blade-like shape, it is commonly associated with Ogun, the Orisha of war (usually associated with Saint George), and is used in rituals to remove the evil eye. A yellow-tipped variant is known as espada-de-santa-barbara (sword-of-saint-barbara), and is associated with Iansan/Oya, the female orisha of storms (usually associated with the sword-bearing image of Saint Barbara). In Africa, the plant is used as a protective charm against evil or bewitchment. In Tamil it is called Marul.

Cultivation and uses

In the Bahamas, this plant is called “Mother-In-Law’s Tongue” because once it gets started, you can’t get rid if it! The color pattern on this stemless plant resembles the skin of a snake. Following the “Doctrine of Signatures” this also indicates one of its uses in bush medicine: For snakebite! Rashes and skin sores can be helped by bathing them with water in which the leaves have been boiled. Some people place leaf juice in water for chickens, which helps prevent diseases.

Cultivation and uses

A variegated cultivar of Sansevieria trifasciata

Like some other members of its genus, S. trifasciata yields bowstring hemp, a strong plant fiber once used to make bowstrings.

It is now used predominantly as an ornamental plant, outdoors in warmer climates, and indoors as a houseplant in cooler climates. It is popular as a houseplant as it is tolerant of low light levels and irregular watering; during winter it needs only one watering every couple of months. It will rot easily if overwatered.^[2] A study by NASA found that it is one of the best plants for improving indoor air quality by passively absorbing toxins such as nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde.^[3]

Numerous cultivars have been selected, many of them for variegated foliage with yellow or silvery-white stripes on the leaf margins. Popular cultivars include 'Compacta', 'Goldiana', 'Hahnii', 'Laurentii', 'Silbersee', and 'Silver Hahnii'. 'Hahnii' was discovered in 1939 by William W. Smith, Jr. in the Crescent Nursery Company, New Orleans, Louisiana. The 1941 patent was assigned to Sylvan Frank Hahn, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[4]

It can be propagated by cuttings or by dividing the rhizome. The first method has the disadvantage that the variegation is likely to be lost.

S. trifasciata is considered by some authorities as a potential weed in Australia, although widely used as an ornamental, in both the tropics outdoors in both pots and garden beds and as an indoor plant in temperate areas

Propagation:

Sansevieria can be divided easily during repotting. Alternatively, new shoots, which emerge from the soil as spikes, can be taken and potted independently. They are rapid growers once established. Cuttings can also be taken, but it's much easier to rely on division.

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