Sansevieria, whose common names include: mother-in-law’s tongue, devil’s tongue, jinn’s tongue, and snake plant, is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plants in the family Ruscaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World. They are xerophytic herbaceous to shrubby succulent perennial plants with evergreen strap-shaped leaves, growing from 20 cm to 3 m tall, often forming dense clumps from a spreading rhizome or stolons. The flowers are greenish-white, produced on a simple or branched raceme 4090 cm long. The fruit is a red or orange berry. The genus was named in honor of Raimondo di Sangro (1710 to 1771), prince of San Severo in Italy. Spellings “Sanseveria” and “Sanseviera” are commonly seen as well, the confusion deriving from alternate spellings of the Italian place name. In Africa, the leaves are used for fiber production; in some species, e.g. Sansevieria ehrenbergii, the plant’s sap has antiseptic qualities, and the leaves are used for bandages in traditional first aid. Like the Epipremnum aureum (Golden Pothos) and Dracaena fragrans (corn plant), Sansevieria is believed to act as good air purifiers by removing toxins (such as formaldehyde, xylene and toluene) from the air, thereby gaining a reputation as a good cure for the “Sick Building Syndrome”. Some reports seem to suggest that Sansevieria produces oxygen at night which makes it suitable as a plant to be placed in the bedroom. Because their leaves grow upwards, Sansevieria can be used for Feng Shui purposes as well. Some believe that having Sansevieria near children (such as in the study room) helps reduce coarseness, while others recommend placing pots near the toilet tank to counter the drain-down vibrations.