What was a large, entangled patch of mother-in-law’s tongue or snake plant (Sansevieria hyacinthoides) at SCCF’s West Sanibel River Preserve is now a cleared area that is ready for native habitat restoration.

“Thanks to a group of Americorps volunteers organized by SCCF’s Coastal Watch for taking care of the area that our contractor could not reach with machinery. The volunteers were able to dig up the root systems of these very difficult plants,” said Wildlife & Habitat Management Director Chris Lechowicz.

SCCF’s ongoing efforts to restore native habitat recently focused on the removal of the large patch of this invasive plant on the parcel of the West Sanibel River Preserve just west of Gulf Pines Road near Sanibel-Captiva Road.

“The plants were throughout the frontage area, including the Island Water Association station, around trees and mounds of dirt, and had old power lines knocked down by Hurricane Ian that were mixed in with them,” he said.

Background on mother-in-law’s tongue

Sansevieria is an exotic and invasive plant from southern Africa that plagues many areas on Sanibel. It is a Category II invasive plant that sends out shoots from rhizomes which enables it to spread quickly and intensely.

“This is a common house plant that was inevitably planted or thrown outside by people who didn’t want it anymore. It was then able to reproduce and infiltrate both disturbed and native habitats,” said Lechowicz.

It is a very popular house plant as it requires very little sunlight and can be kept alive easily in homes. Its hardiness has taken root on Sanibel.

“There are patches of this plant throughout the island that require a concerted effort to remove,” he added.

Sansevieria is notoriously hard to eradicate with chemical treatments. The usual herbicides used to kill exotic plants are not very effective in most cases. They merely stress them and turn them yellow for a while and then they change back to green.

“The most effective eradication method is to dig them up, but you must get the whole root, or there is risk of resprouting,” he added.

The recent removal project with the Americorp volunteers took place on a Saturday in April.

“There is a very noticeable difference as you drive by now. Native plants will again be able to occupy these areas,” said Lechowicz.

To find out how you can help with volunteer efforts to restore native habitats, keep an eye on our Volunteering webpage!