Hi Fox,

I don't think it works like this, x number of leaves 'til it gets certain size. Maybe a question of age/maturity.

Mine is only abt 4-5 years old w/ maybe 6-8 leaves a ft. tall.

Exactly what do you mean by "the real Congo"?

Altho' I haven't seen him around here in some time, perhaps Joe DeR could say more, or maybe Dufflebag aka Norma.

by real congo i ment its true size. mine is around 6yrs or so and im still waiting. x number of leaves tells its age or maturity.

San. trifasciata get any where to 2-6 leaves per growth, and grow to 4 ft high depending on the size of the pot, and light/fertilizer, warmth. etc. The skin is smooth. They still should only get this many leaves per growth in a gal. container. Each growth is mature when they reach 6 leaves. Seldom flower, and if you get it to flower like Awanda she deserves bragging rights. Good light (not direct sun) helps this species to flower. This one tough plant and here where I live it can be grown outside, but it will send out underground runners and can become a weed. It must be dug out, or perhaps snow will kill it if you water it daily. Don't put it close to a driveway it is very much like bamboo. Var. San Laurentii is the same plant except it has loongitudinally stripes with golden yellow borders. This plant can't be propagated from leaf cuttings. Produced by rootstock only. That should do it, make changes if you wish Karen, but look up the information first, decribed from plants raised from The Roayal Botanical Gardens Kew from Bengal Norma

It's not age that gives them more leaves, it is the species, each species only has so many to each growth/rosette. All species can be propagated by leaf. Most hybrids can't (there are exceptions) Norma

I have seen pictures of S. masoniana (S. sp.'Masson /Congo')up to six feet high, this species only has leaves 1-2 to a growth. The leaves are blotched and no crossbanding. The species will need bright light to grow well. This plant was collected in the Belgian Congo by Maurice Mason from Norfolk, England. Later found elswhere. A plant grown in low light will get longer leaves and therefore be elongated. Most of this information was taken from Juan Chahinian new book. Norma

S.Masoniana Chahinian only has 1-2 leaves per growth. Don't separate the plant, it will return to be a juvenile
plant again, leave it alone to crowd the pot, and it will only flower on new growth.
Why aren't the rest of you responding. When I did so,on another forum as was as much as called rude, snob, know it all. We need others to pitch in and help, I don't know it all. I am not an expert. I don't write books, and I'm only here to be of some help. This is supposed to be a discussion forum I thought. I want to learn as well. Thank you all, Norma

Now you may understand why there is not a definite response. My own plants come from the Huntington Gardens, they grow about 2 ft. tall. However I have seen pictures that were taken at a Major Europen Garden 6 ft tall. There may be more than one clone found in different locations. I can only tell you what I have seen, and read, and my own experience. The real San. Masoniana origin not known , and found by Mason, we are not sure where found. No data, then reports Zaire/Congo According to Chahinian, if not grown correctly in enough light it will not look like S. masoniana. It will lose in tiger like spots. There is another clone that is about 1/4 to l/3 larger. Norma