African Spear
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Brazil Saint Bárbara Sword, cylindrical snake plant and spear sansevieria.
African Spear is toxic
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Toxic to people. Harmful when eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Sansevieria cylindrica. Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Sand; pH Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Harmful when eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- The epithet means "of Angola" in Latin. Use a well-drained potting mix (a cactus and succulent mix works) and water roughly once every 2 weeks during summer and once a month in winter.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Repotting
- Move to a larger pot only once it is pot bound.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Increase by leaf cuttings or division.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by banded greenhouse thrips, fern scale and longtailed mealybug.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Vine weevil can attack it. Disease is uncommon.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
- Native range
- S. Trop. AfricaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026AfricaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026S. Trop. AfricaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- seasonally dry tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- rhizomatous geophyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial, Succulent; habit erect, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 6–84 in; width 6–24 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1-1.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, white; blooms in summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers green in summer; pink in summer; white in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
Other Dracaena
DracaenaBrown tips on the newest blades first
Lucky bambooCrisp margins that appear in winter
Snake plantBlades hang and feel thin between the fingers
Dracaena bacularisSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Dracaena reflexaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Gold Dust DracaenaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
More of the Asparagaceae family
Asparagus fernBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Cast iron plantBlade tips go crisp and brown
HyacinthFlowering stops while the foliage carries on
Ponytail palmBlades hang and feel thin between the fingers
Spider plantEdges of the blades brown while the middle stays sound
Spineless yuccaBlade tips go crisp and brown
Plants with similar care
Aeonium haworthiiSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Aeonium undulatumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
African Living RockSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
African Milk BarrelSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
African Milk TreeSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
African MilkbushSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.