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 Sansevieria ebracteata (Cav.) Suresh

Synonym	:	Sansevieria lanuginosa Willd.
Family	:	DRACAENACEAE
Flowering and fruiting period	:	July-October
Distribution	.	Peninsular India
Distribution in Kerala	:	Thriuvanthapuram
Habitat	:	Sandy soil in moist areas
Uses	:	Traditionally it is used as a cardiotonic, expectorant, febrifuge, purgative, tonic in glandular enlargement and rheumatism etc
Key botanical characters: Plants stemless, rootstock creeping. Leaves 5-6 from base, 2-3 m long, semi-terete, channelled above, 1-1.15 cm thick at middle, dark green, rarely with obscure transverse pale green bands, lower surface smooth with 9-12 longitudinal lines, margin white or pale red, apex terete, 10-20 cm long. Spike 60-65 cm long, scale leaves 3 at base, lanceolate, 2-8 cm long, acuminate at apex, flowers 5-6 in fascicles, pedicel ca 4 mm long, greyish in colour. Corolla tube 1-1.8 cm long, lobes 6, oblanceolateca 1 cm long. Staminal filaments ca 6 mm long, anther oblong, pale yellow, longitudinally dehiscing. Ovary 3 celled, ovule one per cell, style ca 1.4 cm long, stigma bulbose. Berry globose, orange in colour; seeds globose with white albumen.