Hi Gwen. I guess anything's possible, but the cultivar
'Lillian True' showing up in pots of 'Laurentii' is
unlikely, altho it did originally arise from this plant.
'Lillian True' would have had very wide and intense yellow
margins, and also with yellow striping thruout the leaf. Striping on the front will not match those on
the back of the leaf, which is why it's also called 'Slipped Stripes'. Sometimes most of a leaf may be
yellow. The green on the leaf is very dark, and almost
void of any banding or other markings within the green,
very unlike 'Laurentii'. It's quite noticeably different than 'Laurentii', much more contrast between the dark green and the bright yellows. If this sounds like the plant you saw, maybe you SHOULD have picked it up.
Good to see you here again, Gwen.
Russ

Thanks for that great explanation, Russ. I just spotted my first Lillian True today, and find that your explanation makes so much sense. I had already noticed a lack of cross banding in the leaf, and that the green was so much darker and more intense.

I had never seen one for sale before, and feared I would have to rely on trades to find one. Gwen, I must second the opinion that maybe, perhaps, you should have picked that baby up. It's a sweet heart!

I have noticed lately, on my new S.t. 'Laurentii' leaves that the green part is so much lighter, almost 'MoonShine' like as they pop up new out of the ground. Maybe I have a sport? Or do all 'Laurentii's have extra light green leaves with a barely defined yellow margin?

Maybe you have a "Silver" Laurentii. They have very light colored green.
Marcy

Think I'll make a trip back to Sorrento and hope that the plant is still there. A friend just called who is attending the Fall Plant sale at USF in Tampa today and spotted a small 'Lillian True' for $8.00. Is this a reasonable price for the variety?
Gwen

So what is the difference between Lillian True & Black Gold? I have two plants one in a 10" pot and one smaller. The backs and front of the leaves are different.

Here's a photo of one.

{{gwi:1257289}}

Hi. Names on Sansevierias are a total mess.
'Lillian True' is actually an alternate name for 'Slipped Stripes'. The plant you call 'Black Gold' is actually 'Compacta', and unfortunately 'Black Gold' is an alternate name. There is a REAL 'Black Gold', which is a very dark form of trifasciata, with leaves that mature to be far darker than normal trifasciata, and new leaves have
dark horizontal stripes on a pale silvery background.

'Slipped Stripes/Lillian True' is similar to 'Compacta/Black Gold'. But 'Compacta's yellow variegation
is confined to the margins only. 'Lillian True' may have
yellow striping thruout the leaf, some leaves may be almost entirely yellow. Also, the striping on the front does not match the striping on the back.

Gwen, I think $8 is an OK price for either of these Sans.
I attended the USF sale, and if we're talking about the
same plants, they were 'Compacta', not 'Lillian True'.
I didn't look at them closely, but I'm sure the only yellow
on the plants was confined to just the margins. I did buy
a 'Hahnii Marginated' since it was a nice clone and well
grown. There were some other Sans also for sale.
Russ

Hi. After some discussion with folks at another Sansevieria
forum, the woman who actually received the first plant from Lillian True in the early 80s told me that there was initially some confusion over which name was first, but she is absolutely certain that the name 'Lillian True'was published first and should be the official name, NOT 'Slipped Stripes'. She remembers the event clearly, and has written the account down. So, it appears Juan Chahinian's book on the trifasciata varieties is in error, and 'Lillian True' is the correct name, with 'Slipped Stripes' being a not often used alternate name.
Thanks,
Russ