I still remember the first time I stumbled upon the different snake plant varieties—it felt like opening a treasure chest I didn’t know existed. Before that, I only knew about 6 or 7 types!
Did you know hundreds of varieties of snake plants were once part of the Sansevieria genus but are now reclassified under Dracaena?
If you’re like me and love the idea of low-maintenance greenery, snake plants are a dream come true. They range from hardy, desert-adapted succulents to tropical varieties that thrive in humid environments. Some have bold, patterned leaves that almost look painted, while others have unique shapes and textures that make them stand out.
What makes these plants even more amazing is their ability to adapt. Whether dealing with low light or bright spaces, snake plants seem to thrive wherever you put them. Their resilience is incredible!
Whether you’re just starting your plant journey or are already a snake plant enthusiast, there’s so much to explore. I encourage you to take a closer look at the types of snake plants that I covered in this blog post. So go ahead—dive into this fascinating world of snake plants and let your collection grow!
Different Types of Snake Plant Varieties
Here is a comprehensive list of different varieties of snake plants.
Whale Fin or Shark Fin
The Dracaena masoniana, commonly known as “Whale Fin” or “Shark Fin,” is a unique and striking plant characterized by its large, broad, paddle-shaped leaves.
The leaf is broad, wide, and slightly curved, resembling the shape of a whale’s fin. It has a single, upright growth pattern, which is one of the plant’s defining features.
The leaf displays a vibrant green color with a marbled pattern of lighter green speckles throughout. This mottled pattern gives the plant a textured and lively look. Along the edges of the leaf, there is a subtle yellow or pale green outline, adding to its ornamental appeal.
The surface of the leaf appears smooth with a slightly glossy finish, enhancing its visual appeal. Its old name is Sansevieria masoniana ‘Whale Fin’.
Kirkii Silver Blue
This plant is an elegant and striking variety of snake plants. Its most notable feature is the silvery-blue foliage with distinct dark green horizontal striations. The leaves are wide, slightly undulating, and have an attractive reddish-brown margin, giving it a unique, sculptural appearance. Its old name is Sansevieria kirkii ‘Silver Blue’.
Golden Wendy
This plant is a compact and striking variety of snake plant with a visually appealing structure. Its foliage features broad, thick, and fleshy leaves that grow in a tight, rosette-like arrangement. Each leaf is characterized by a vibrant yellow-green center with deep, dark green edges that frame the leaf margins, giving it a dramatic two-tone appearance. The glossy surface of the leaves adds to its attractiveness, reflecting light beautifully.
The plant’s form is symmetrical and sculptural, making it a stunning choice for indoor décor. This specific variety remains compact, making it perfect for small pots or tabletop displays. This is one of my best varieties of snake plants. It was also known by the name Sansevieria ‘Golden Wendy’.
Crocodile Rock
This plant features long, upright, and pointed leaves that spread symmetrically from the center in a rosette pattern. The leaves are a vibrant green with textured, horizontal striping that resembles the scales of a crocodile, hence the name.
The variegated pattern of lighter and darker green shades adds depth to its overall aesthetic, giving it a natural and slightly rugged look. It was also known by the name Sansevieria ‘Crocodile Rock’.
Cleopatra
This plant’s leaves are broad, fleshy, and somewhat wavy, arranged in a rosette pattern. The foliage features an intricate dark green stripe pattern running vertically against a lighter green background, giving it a visually appealing, textured look.
The edges of the leaves are adorned with a thin reddish-brown outline, adding a touch of elegance and contrast to the overall design. The plant has a sturdy and symmetrical form, making it a standout choice for decorative purposes. It was also known by the name Sansevieria ‘Cleopatra’.
Twisted Sister
This plant has a striking appearance due to its unique leaf structure. The leaves are long and have a twisted, corkscrew-like shape that gives the plant its name. They are a mix of green and yellow, with the green portions being more prominent on the inner portion, and the yellow areas creating a beautiful contrast on the outer portion. The leaves are also speckled with darker green spots, which adds to the plant’s visual interest.
Kirkii Coppertone
This plant has a robust, upright growth habit with broad, strap-like leaves that are a mix of green and copper-colored patterns. The leaves are glossy and have a slightly wavy texture, which is characteristic of this variety. The copper tones give the plant a unique and attractive look, making it a popular choice for indoor gardening.
Arborescens
The plant has a striking appearance with its long, sword-like leaves that are a mix of green and yellow, with some white and cream variegation. The leaves are arranged in a fan-like pattern, radiating from the center of the plant, which gives it a unique and attractive look.
Star Rose
This type of snake plant has a robust and upright growth habit, with a central stem from which multiple green leaves radiate outward. The leaves are elongated, with a slightly curved shape, and they have a glossy surface that reflects light. The edges of the leaves are serrated, giving them a somewhat saw-toothed appearance.
Rorida
It has a distinctive appearance with long, slender, sword-like leaves that are green with a pattern of white or light-colored stripes running down the center. The leaves are arranged in a fan-like pattern, radiating from the base of the plant. The leaves have a pointed end.
Super Chubby
This plant is characterized by its thick, chubby leaves that are tightly packed together. The leaves are rich green, with a slightly glossy surface reflecting light, giving them a vibrant and healthy look.
The leaves are arranged in a star shape. They are elongated with a pointed tip, and they exhibit a prominent central spine from which the leaves fan out. The edges of the leaves are slightly curled under, adding to the plant’s unique and attractive aesthetic.
Laurentii
This plant features tall, upright, sword-shaped leaves that grow in a dense, clustered formation. The leaves display a vibrant green color with characteristic dark green horizontal bands running across their surface, giving them a marbled or striped appearance.
A key feature of the ‘Laurentii’ variety is the distinct golden-yellow margins that run along the edges of each leaf. These bright yellow borders contrast beautifully with the green center, creating an eye-catching, variegated look. The leaves are thick, leathery, and slightly glossy.
Night Owl
This plant has a striking and compact appearance. Its foliage features broad, thick, and pointed leaves that grow in an upright rosette formation, giving the plant a sculptural and symmetrical look. The leaves are predominantly green with darker horizontal stripes or bands, resembling a subtle marbled texture. The edges of the leaves are slightly outlined with a lighter cream or pale yellow hue, further enhancing its contrast and elegance. The leaves have a glossy finish, which reflects light, making the plant look vibrant and fresh.
Sayuri
This plant has a sleek and elegant appearance characterized by its long, sword-like leaves. The leaves display a soft, silvery-green color with subtle vertical striping. The foliage grows in an upright manner, creating a fan-like arrangement. Each leaf tapers to a point, and the plant as a whole exudes a clean and minimalist aesthetic. Additionally, the leaves appear thick and sturdy.
Zeylanica
This plant features long, sword-shaped leaves that grow upright and have a stiff, robust structure. The leaves are deep green with wavy, horizontal bands of lighter green or gray, giving the plant a striking and decorative appearance. The edges of the leaves are smooth and taper into a sharp point. It typically grows in a rosette pattern, with the leaves emerging directly from the soil without a visible stem.
Black Gold
This plant has elegant, sword-shaped leaves. The plant has dark green leaves bordered by vibrant golden-yellow edges, which provide a sharp contrast and highlight its beauty. The leaves are upright, stiff, and tapering to a point. The glossy finish on the leaves adds a polished appearance.
Whitney
This plant has a characteristic of broad, lance-shaped leaves arranged in an elegant rosette. The leaves are dark green with a smooth texture, featuring lighter green mottled patterns along the edges, creating a subtle yet striking contrast. The edges of the leaves appear slightly curled inward, adding to its unique aesthetic appeal. It was also called Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Whitney’.
Black Coral
This plant displays long, upright leaves with a dark green base color, accentuated by wavy, horizontal bands of a lighter green shade, creating a marbled effect. The leaves are lance-shaped, firm, and glossy, exuding a refined and contemporary aesthetic. The plant’s overall structure is dense and upright, giving it a sleek and vertical profile.
Lemon Soda
This plant has thick, upright leaves arranged in overlapping layers, giving it a neat, symmetrical appearance. The leaves are bright green with a smooth texture, featuring faint darker green margins that accentuate their pointed tips.
Jaboa
This plant has a striking variety characterized by its tall, lance-shaped leaves. The leaves are predominantly green, with unique light green to silvery patterns resembling irregular chevrons or mottled textures, creating a bold visual contrast. These leaves are upright, slightly curved, and taper to pointed tips, giving the plant a sleek and elegant appearance. It was also known by the name Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Jaboa’.
Hahnii Honey Bunny
This plant has a compact, rosette-shaped growth habit. Its dark green, sword-like leaves are smooth and glossy, with golden-yellow narrow edges that beautifully frame each leaf.
Platinum Boncel
This plant has the appearance defined by its compact and fan-like arrangement of fleshy, tubular leaves. These leaves are thick and smooth, and have a light silvery-green color, with faint horizontal striping that adds texture and interest. The leaves taper to sharp, pointed tips, giving them a sculptural and geometric aesthetic.
Hahnii Jade
This plant has the characteristic of a compact, rosette-shaped form with broad, smooth, and glossy leaves. The foliage displays a rich, uniform jade-green color appearance. The leaves are slightly pointed at the tips, curving slightly inward toward the center of the rosette.
Sawasdee
The plant’s appearance is characterized by its densely packed, spear-like leaves that grow in an upward pattern. The leaves are robust, elongated, and have a smooth texture with a rich green color. Subtle, lighter green or faintly brownish stripes run along the length of the leaves, adding a natural gradient effect.
Each leaf narrows to a sharp, pointed tip. The edges of the leaves exhibit a slightly raised margin, contributing to their distinctive look.
Cylindrica
This plant is characterized by its leaves that are long, cylindrical, and tube-like, growing upright in a rigid, fan-shaped arrangement. The dark green foliage often displays subtle lighter green stripes or bands. The thick, fleshy leaves taper to a fine point at the tip and are designed to conserve water, making the plant highly drought-tolerant.
Hahnii Black Gold
This plant features short, broad leaves that grow in a rosette formation, creating a tidy and symmetrical appearance. The leaves are deep green with a glossy surface, giving the plant a vibrant and healthy look.
A key characteristic of this variety is the bold, golden-yellow margins that frame each leaf, providing a sharp contrast to the dark green center. The leaf edges are smooth. Also, the leaf tip is pointed.
Bantel’s Sensation
This plant, also known as the White Stripe Snake Plant, exhibits an elegant and upright growth habit. Its long, sword-like leaves grow vertically and are slim and pointed, giving the plant a sleek and refined appearance. The leaves feature a striking variegation, with creamy white vertical stripes running alongside dark green bands. The foliage has a smooth and glossy texture.
Futura Superba
This plant’s leaves are wide, stiff, and sword-shaped, growing upright in a rosette pattern. The foliage displays a rich, dark green base color with horizontal, lighter green patterns that create a variegated effect. A distinctive feature of this variety is its bright yellow edging along the margins of the leaves.
Hahnii Golden
This plant features a compact and rosette-shaped growth habit. Its vibrant leaves are short and broad, with a striking variegated appearance. The foliage showcases bright golden-yellow edges that frame the deep green, slightly wavy centers. The leaves are thick and fleshy, with a smooth, glossy texture, arranged symmetrically in a rosette.
Mikado
This plant has long tapered leaves that grow upright in a compact, fountain-like shape. The leaves are dark green with lighter green, horizontal striping, or mottling. The tips of the leaves taper to fine points, giving the plant a sleek look.
Hahnii Green
This plant features rosette-shaped foliage with broad, smooth leaves that grow outward in a symmetrical, layered pattern. The leaves are a deep green color with light green, horizontal mottling, or variegation. The surface of the leaves is glossy, enhancing its lush, vibrant appearance.