Hi all! I have been all over the internet trying to find another picture/example/article about this, and have come up empty. I've got a mature and healthy Sansevieria Trifasciata Laurentii that was repotted last summer, and over the winter, it sprouted this enormous, thick stalk! What is it doing?? I can't even seem to find any pictures of something similar in one these plants. So my question is.. WHAT IS this stalk and should I do anything with it? Is it trying to propagate itself? Last gasp of a dying plant? About to sprout a head and start singing "Feed Me"?? Thank you in advance for any insight!

I think it's called stacking, more common in the birds nest types of Sansevieria.

Perhaps the shoot was damaged during development - an interesting aberation for sure.

@stush2019, have you ever seen this?

So weird!

Thank you, @kniphofia and @Hamwild for your responses. Sue, I found a picture of that 'stacking' shape in one of the compact varieties, and I agree, it's somewhat similar. Mine is definitely weird though. Maybe a genetic mutation? I've had this plant for over 20 years. It has flowered a couple of times, but this stalk is something new.

Hello and Welcome tersmith2 (new member).
This is not what I would call stacking. To me stacking is when they keep forming new leaves and have no where to go but up. I have that on several of my Sans. Asahi. To me this is a root rhizome that is searching for more light. Can you tell me if this is coming from the base of the plant or is it from the center growing point of a rosette? Can't tell from the picture. But in time it will produce new leaves and be sort of like a trunk which is very rare to see.
Normally Sans don't form stems or trunks so this rhizome is something special and would love to see what it looks like in a few years. I had this happen during winter months when mine are in poor light and poor conditions but never to that long of extent. Mostly 5 or 6 inches most.

Hi @Stush2019! It looks like the stalk is coming out of a rosette, and not directly from a rhizome. Here are a couple of pictures that show the base of it a bit better. It's in a brightly lit enclosed porch, but back away from the South-facing window because I have burned it before by placing it in direct sunlight. In fact these pictures, taken just now (noon local time), are pretty accurate in showing the light it gets. If it needs more, I can try to put it up on a plant stand or something. It's down on the floor now.

So it sounds like you're saying to leave it and see what happens? I'm all for it! Let's see what this freakshow turns into in a few more months! Thanks so much for your comment.

Looks like the start of one of these types of aerial stalks maybe?:

Omie said:Looks like the start of one of these types of aerial stalks maybe?:

It does in a way, but I don't think that's how S. trifasciata grows/makes babies. But who knows!

@Omie, thanks for that picture! The stalk on mine does look very similar to the runners in your picture, though growing vertically instead of horizontally. Very strange. My Laurentii has expanded many times over the years, always sending up coiled spires of new leaves right from the rhizomes. So it'll be very interesting to see what eventually sprouts from the top of this big stalk. Thanks for your post!!

@tersmith2 , you're welcome! That was an image from the web, not taken by me. But it showed a similar growth process. I suspect that your big stalk will get taller and slowly lean over to one side, and that the tiny white dots along the stalk will produce aerial roots intended to grab into the soil, and that the tip of the stalk will become a new pup plant on its own.
It looks sort of like an aerial rhizome, though I'm no expert. Like the rhizomes that snake plants typically produce under the soil and pups push up from them, but this one is coming along vertically. Because it's exposed to the light maybe that's why it's not the usual pale white color of underground rhizomes. Maybe yours had no where to go but up!

@Omie, that's an intriguing idea, and maybe you're right! An aerial rhizome. I WAS wondering about those white spots on the stalk, and it does seem plausible that those could be where roots would sprout from. Before I repotted this last summer, it was badly crowded and completely rootbound. Maybe the aerial rhizome had already started by then, having nowhere else to go, like you said. It was a rather violent repotting - I hacked about a third of the plant out, and completely cut off the lower half of the roots. I mean, there was hardly any dirt left - it was like a solid root mass. These plants are so tough though - they do well even when neglected. Anyway, I like your idea, it makes sense, so thank you.

My first thought was a rhizome that had no place to go in a tight pot and start growing upwards but then I think I remember Sans. rhizomes are usually orange, or whitish in color. Maybe the wonky growth could still have something to do with the pot being full of rhizomes? It's kinda cool looking.

I say, if it starts talking, run!

Hamwild said:I say, if it starts talking, run!

I agree, @plantladylin, it IS kind of cool looking! And you're right - all of the rhizomes that I've seen before - either poking through the surface or crammed underneath were orange. But your comment makes me wonder if it's still too crowded. Maybe I should divide it again here soon.

And @Hamwild, if it starts talking, it's getting doused with Roundup.

A huge thank you to everyone who has weighed in on this mystery!

Teresa, Your stock is not a running rhizome like I first suggested. It is a trunk. That is rare but happens. Like I stated I had one but not nearly that size. It grew it's own rosette of leaves at the top and produced aerial roots trying to reach the ground. I would leave it produce it's trunk and enjoy your new Sansavieria Tree. I would even remove any new roots along the trunk to keep it tree like.

Thank you, @Stush2019. That is so strange. I appreciate your advice too, to cultivate it as a "tree" and I look forward to seeing what it looks like in a year or so. I am learning to like it - this strange, mutant thing in my house - only because it's rare and different. I am not so crazy about its appearance, but it may end up being more attractive when it has leaves coming out of the top. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, and many thanks for your words of encouragement!

Tree trunk like..
. Wasn't dracaena recently.regrouped.into Sans?

Sally, Very close. Sansevieria is now called Dracaena. A lot of us don't recognize this but according to it's DNA they grouped them all together. There are some hybrids between the two.
Just like Euphorbia is a very large group from cactus like to broad leaf kinds.
The opposite is true with Aloes and Haworthia. They keep splitting them up into different species.

I'll put my money on it being a flower stalk.