any herbaceous perennial plant of the liliaceous genus Sansevieria, of Old World tropical regions. Some are cultivated as house plants for their erect bayonet-like fleshy leaves of variegated green (mother-in-law's tongue); others yield useful fibre (bowstring hemp)
Word origin
New Latin, named after Raimondo di Sangro (1710–71), Italian scholar and prince ofSan Severo
sansevieria in American English
(ˌsænsəˈvɪriə)
noun
any of a genus (Sansevieria) of succulent tropical plants of the agave family, with stiff, thick, lance-shaped leaves often yielding a strong, elastic fiber
Word origin
ModL, after the Prince of Sanseviero (1710-71), a learned Neapolitan