sansevieria

noun

san·​se·​vie·​ria ˌsan(t)-sə-ˈvir-ē-ə 

: any of a genus (Sansevieria) of tropical perennial herbs of the asparagus family with showy mottled sword-shaped leaves usually yielding a strong fiber

especially : snake plant

Illustration of sansevieria

Examples of sansevieria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The noonday sun beats down on agave and sansevieria fields as Nate Berkus accompanied a group of design aficionados on a tour of a working henequen farm in Yucatán. — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026

Other plants for your shady spot might include aglaonema, dieffenbachia, dracaena, parlor palm and sansevieria. — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026

Read More About Peace Lily Care 5 The Sill Snake Plant $38 at The Sill Nearly impossible to kill, sansevieria has flat, sword-like variegated leaves that tolerate any amount of light. — Molly Miller, housebeautiful.com, 31 May 2023

There are so many different varieties of sansevieria. — Gina Mayfield, Dallas News, 20 Mar. 2023

Snake Plant $35 at Amazon$40 at Home Depot One of many sansevierias, the snake plant is tough to kill. — Monique Valeris, Good Housekeeping, 19 Mar. 2023

Agaves and sansevieria [shown]. — Mary Holland, WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022

Many shop owners said best-sellers include snake plants, also known sansevieria, a hardy, low-maintenance plant with spiky green leaves. — Anna Kramer, SFChronicle.com, 13 July 2020

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Raimondo di Sangro, prince of San Severo †1774 Italian scholar

First Known Use

1804, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sansevieria

• aquaria
• gregaria
• herbaria
• hysteria
• malaria
• puparia
• rancheria
• araucaria
• arenaria
• honoraria
• mercenaria
• area

Kids Definition

sansevieria

noun

san·​se·​vie·​ria ˌsan(t)-sə-ˈvir-ē-ə 

: any of a genus of tropical herbs that are related to the agaves and have spotted or striped sword-shaped leaves

called also snake plant