That is so cool! I saw a similar pic a couple yrs ago & have been trying to duplicate, but no results so far. Definitely interesting!

Very nice! Can't wait to see how this develops over the next few months.

How adorable! I hope if it grows a little larger, you will detach, stick it in pumice and let it sprout its own roots.

That is cool growing just like a leaf cutting would....

Attack of the mutant Sans! Everybody, run for the hills! Run for for your lives!

Very beautiful!

First for me. Would leave it grow on the leaf. See how the leaf develops into a stem or what. Some part of that leaf has to get thicker. Please take more pictures and keep us up-dated.

Yeah, having never (successfully) gotten a leaf cutting to take root, I don't know what it's supposed to look like. I agree, Stush, I'm just going to leave it there, unless I start seeing signs that it, or the mother plant, is unhealthy or unhappy.

It is super cool, how it's responding to the crack in the leaf. This Sans is reminding us how they really are amazing plants. Looking forward to the updates.

Cool and unusual happening! The part of the leaf above the split obviously thinks it's a cutting and has produced an offset, even though it has no roots and never felt any soil around it. Please post more pics as it grows, we need to document this!

The offset will eventually produce it's own root-nubs and you can cut it away, but I hope you leave it on the parent plant as long as possible just so we can see its development.

Russ

I found the pic that I mentioned above. Not my pic.

Yeah Tiffany, that is weird. I don't see a crack in the leaf but maybe there was an injury there that we can't see which caused the offset to grow.

Thanks, Russ

Tiffany, Thanks for finding this. I though I saw something like this before and couldn't remember. Strange part is, it seems to not be able to do this when you want it to. Would love to see an update to see if it tried to grow roots or if the leaf supporting this growth starts to thicken and become a stem of some kind.

Happy to, I'm intrigued too! Yeah, in some older discussion around here, I showed that pic & said I would put holes in leaves to see if anything happened. I did but it didn't. That's been a while, I have a whole new crop of leaves to subject to wild experiments, I will. Folding a few leaves so they crack like the first pic of the discussion is not something I tried, I will.

It'd be interesting to know how many times this occurs in, say 100 leaves that have been bent, folded, poked, skewered, torn and/or partially cut. I'll bet the incidence isn't very high, which makes one wonder what it is that triggers it.

An interesting experiment would be to cut a hole in the middle of a flat leaf, or cut a big notch out of the edge, then place moist sphagnum moss over it on both sides and wrap with saran wrap. This would be similar to air-layering a branch on a ficus or other type of tree. I've done a lot of this over the years and it's a fascinating process, it's also called marcotting or mossing. I'll bet it would work on sans, probably would want to let the cut edges on the leaf dry before attempting. On a heavy cylindrical leaf, I would notch the leaf and place a sphagnum wrap over that. In normal air-layering, the idea is to simply produce roots at the place of the cut, with sans you're trying to produce new plants so you'd have to watch for a plant trying to push thru the moss and out of the plastic wrap. Once the plant is there, the wrap could come off.

I might try this in the spring, I don't think it's ever been done. Tiffany, if you try it let me know what happens.

Russ

Russ, Tiffany has been trying this. So far nothing but I'm sure she will get something. I don't thing she tried the air layering, I think she just cut holes in the leaves she was trying it on. She said she might try bending a leaf also. She loves to experiment.

In the OPs pic that leaf looks almost severed.....there is a strong horizontal cut. I wonder if that is what triggered it, though there was obviously enough moisture getting through to keep the top part alive (and allow it to pup). Interesting!

Stush, if anyone can make it work it's Tiffany.

Chris, I'm not sure if we'll ever know what triggers production of a plant from an injury, but it certainly doesn't happen very often.

Russ

Yes, I don't think that if I can cause this to happen once that I would then be able to cause it repeatedly, reliably.

Another interesting point is the new growth is from the bottom of the affected leaf and not the top of cut or bend. There was suggested that sprouts only bottom of the leaf cutting and not the top. If planted upside down. Some one said to cut up the leaves and just plant all of them in mulch and see what happens. Only if you live in zone 10 or 11 that is. Never heard results.

That's an interesting observation Stush, good eye my friend. I'm pretty sure that upside down leaves won't work although I've never done the experiment to prove it. I'll try it this spring or summer if I remember, maybe someone can remind me.

I'd love to be in zone 10 or 11. I'm in 9B and have to deal with a few just-below-freezing temps every winter, but overall it's a good place for growing. The farther south in Fla you go the more populated and expensive it is, especially on the coasts.

Russ

That's an interesting observation Stush, good eye my friend. I'm pretty sure that upside down leaves won't work although I've never done the experiment to prove it. I'll try it this spring or summer if I remember, maybe someone can remind me.

I'd love to be in zone 10 or 11. I'm in 9B and have to deal with a few just-below-freezing temps every winter, but overall it's a good place for growing. The farther south in Fla you go the more populated and expensive it is, especially on the coasts.

Russ

Leaf polarity is important: Years ago I had a cutting in soil for a year and it did nothing, in the spring I flipped it over and by the end of summer it had pupped!

Thanks for chiming in Fred, so we have positive proof that upside down doesn't work! Back to magic marker arrows on which way is down!

But rather than markers, I always cut the bottom at an angle. I figure the slanted cut gives more surface to produce offsets, in addition to indicating 'down'.

Russ

slant for bottom down part of the leaf sounds like a great idea! Larger surface area- every bit helps! LOL

Yeah Fred, I think the angled cut might get an extra plant out of a leaf, so why not. I've thought of cutting a semi-circle on wide, flat leaves for even more surface but have never tried it.

Hope you're staying warm up there in north-land. It's been mild here so far, hopefully Feb won't bring any cold surprises but I'm not counting on it.

Russ

Russ, we just had a Nor'easter blow past- but it did not do a lot more than 3 inches of sleet, so that was a blessing. The same Storm that wrecked havoc down south- thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones due to it.

Fred, I assume that was the same system that came through here with heavy wind, hail, lightning and many possible tornadoes. Towns just north and south of me got hit worse than I did... as you say, a blessing. At least a dozen people were killed when it raced through Mississippi, Georgia and other southern states.

Russ

Russ,

Yes, I believe so.

Fred

Miss Linguist, how's your oddity coming along?

Deanna

That is so cool!

The Sansevieria Production Guide from University of Florida said: "Cuttings must be stuck with
their basal ends down approximately 1 to 1.5 inches into
a well drained but moist medium. Since the upper and
basal end of cuttings taken from the mid-section of
taller types is difficult to determine visually, it is
often desirable to mark or notch one end of the cuttings
consistently to aid in sticking. Cuttings stuck upside
down will not develop roots."

UF probably has the best sans research team in the world, so I guess that statement should be fairly conclusive. That article also has many other interesting data for your reference.

I don't check in for awhile and all these wonderous things are happening in the Sans world. Amazing........Maryl

Neat-O!!!

No results yet to report from trying to cause this to happen intentionally.

Love your growth!

Miss Linguist - once again I see that these plants are unbelievable :) I see something like this for the first time. Thank you for the photos !!