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Mason's Congo

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Mason's Congo

  • ​​Common Name: Mason's Congo (other common names: Whale Fin Snake Plant, Mason’s Congo Sansevieria)
  • Scientific Name: Sansevieria masoniana
  • Family Name: Asparagaceae
  • Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
  • Height: 2’ – 3’
  • Width: 1’ – 2’ (spreading)
  • Growth: slow
  • Zone: 10 - 11
  • Light Needs: Full sun – Partial shade (best grown in dappled shade and protect from the hot afternoon sun)
  • Salt Tolerance: Very
  • Soil/PH/Texture: use a potting mix that is well-drained, it tolerates a very wide range of environmental and cultural conditions
  • Soil Moisture: Dry – Medium, best grown in evenly moist to dry, well-draining soil, water regularly during its growing season but cut back in the fall – winter.
  • Drought Tolerance: high
  • Pests/Diseases: No serious pests or diseases but watch for mealybugs and spider mites and make sure to not over water which causes root rot. Also the occasional lubber or grasshopper likes to feed off the leaves.
  • Growing Conditions: easy to grow and low maintenance
  • Characteristics: this evergreen succulent has an unusual color of foliage, leaves are leathery in texture and succulent, dark green mottled with a lighter green with a red tinge on the margins, shaped oblanceolate, and can reach up to 8” wide and 3’ tall. Flowering for this plant is erratic and it rarely flowers indoors, and after flowering the Sansevieria will cease producing new leaves but will continue to grow by rhizomes and stolons that produce plantlets. The blooms are showy, about 1” long, and greenish-white when they appear on an upright stalk.
  • Propagation: By division of stolons and runners.
  • Wildlife: unknown
  • Facts: The specific epithet honors a Italian patron of horticulture from the 18th century who was a succulent enthusiast and English farmer who first collected and cultivated this plant named “Maurice Mason”.
  • Designer Considerations: great for groundcover, borders, along foundations, xeriscaping, and planting in containers for your patio or deck but needs excellent drainage.