I've read in several places that propagation from clippings, will result in the Sansevieria laurentii variety reverting to solid green leaves and shoots.
Most articles say that propagation by division, is the only way to maintain variegation, as well as the characteristic yellow edge, and that sometimes even low lighting can cause new shoots to be "revert" to a solid form.
So, how do growers get them to progress, or return, to the variegated variety?
Variegation is caused by genetic chimerism. This means that an organism is composed of cells with two different genotypes (genetic makeups). In this case one cell type has the normal (green) genotype, and the second has a mutated (yellow) genotype which causes the other color.
If you propagate with cuttings, only one of the cell types (the green one) will grow into a new plant, losing the other cell type (with the mutant genotype).
But when using propagation by division you keep whole parts of the roots intact (which are also chimeric), and the variegation stays. So, this method is used by cultivators to keep the variegation intact.
To get it returned is not possible, because you'll have to wait that some cells will spontaneously mutate into the other genotype again, and the chance that this happens randomly is nil.
