Growoing up, we always had one of these plants in our house. One had been in the family for generations. We called it the Snake Plant—it was great, it didn’t need much in the way of care, but it was a steady grower. Some people told us they called it the “Bedroom plant” as they kept it in the bedroom as an air purifier. Today, I have a large one in my living room and many larger ones out along my fence in the backyard, and they are spreading. Now I found out the “old wives tales” about purifying the air are true!
NASA has classified Sansevieria, now called Dracaena, as an air purifier due to its ability to remove toxic compounds such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene.
This plant uses the acid metabolism of the Crassulaceae to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, enabling it to resist drought.
The microscopic pores on its leaves, called stomata, open only at night to limit water loss through transpiration in the heat of the sun. Unlike other plants, Sansevieria produces oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide at night, making it an excellent indoor air purifier while we sleep.
I may just move one into my bedroom now!
Hayseeds Creative 