What an unflattering name for such striking tropical foliage! The pointed and strap-shaped evergreen leaves of mother-in-law’s tongue, Sansevieria trifasciata, stand vertically, about two or three feet tall. They are rather rigid, and seem to be plastic with a glossy finish. Almost all modern varieties are variegated with silvery gray, white, cream or yellow stripes or banding. Dwarf varieties stay shorter, with flared foliage.
Because it tolerates shade and neglect so well, mother-in-law’s tongue has always been a popular houseplant. It is sometimes grown in pots outside where it can be sheltered from frost or direct sunlight that might roast the foliage. Pups can be divided from overgrown old plants, but will develop shorter leaves until they recover from separation. Crowded plants might get green sports (unvariegated mutant shoots).
Tony Tomeo 
These are house plants here, but they are indestructible… just like mother in laws 😂🤣😂🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person
no comment.
LikeLike
It’s a popular houseplant here, and here we call them snake plants. I guess somebody’s grandmother thought they looked like snakes, and it caught on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have heard that too. Snake plant sounds better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And what older people around here call mother in law’s tongue is dieffenbachia, (dumb cane) since it has the toxin to numb your lips and tongue for a while if you put it in your mouth. Or include it in your mother in law’s salad, lol!
LikeLike
Hey, that is what we called it! That was a long time ago. Now it is more commonly known as dumb cane.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have one of these. A tough plant. In my experience, it overstates the sharpness of the tongues of mothers-in-law.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mother-in-laws tongue grows outdoors here and I had to pull masses of them out as they were taking over parts of the garden. I still haven’t finished!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I sort of think that they look best as smaller potted plants, or at least in small colonies. Their foliar textures and patterns are not as easy to appreciate in large colonies.
LikeLiked by 1 person