Snake Plant

Dracaena trifasciata, the snake plant, is native to tropical West Africa, from Nigeria to the Congo. Until 2017 it was called Sansevieria trifasciata. It is also called Saint George's sword, mother-in-law's tongue and viper's bowstring hemp. Wikipedia says its saponins are mildly toxic to dogs and cats and can cause gastrointestinal upset if eaten. In its native range, the article says, specimens with yellow stripes on the leaf margins are associated with Oya, the female orisha of storms, and in Nigeria the plant is commonly linked with Ogun, the orisha of war, and used in rituals to remove the evil eye. In Brazil it is called espada de Sao Jorge, is grown outside houses to ward off evil, and is important in Umbanda, where it stands for the orisha Ogum as syncretised with Saint George.