Sansevieria is a historically recognised genus of flowering plants that was long placed in the family Asparagaceae (order Asparagales), subfamily Nolinoideae. It encompassed around 70 species of rhizomatous or stoloniferous perennials native to Africa — particularly sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar — and southern Asia. The genus shows remarkable morphological diversity: some species are succulent desert plants with stiff, upright cylindrical or channelled leaves adapted to arid conditions, while others are softer-leafed tropical species suited to shaded, humid environments. Plants typically form dense clumps spreading by underground rhizomes or surface stolons.
Following molecular phylogenetic studies that demonstrated Sansevieria was nested within Dracaena — rendering Dracaena paraphyletic in its traditional circumscription — the genus was formally synonymised with Dracaena. All former Sansevieria species are now treated as members of Dracaena; for example, the widely cultivated snake plant formerly known as Sansevieria trifasciata is now Dracaena trifasciata. The name Sansevieria remains widely used in horticulture and common parlance, and GBIF continues to recognise it as an accepted name in its backbone taxonomy.
The most familiar species, the snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata), is one of the world's most popular houseplants, valued for its architectural, upright leaves banded in grey-green and yellow. Common names across the genus include mother-in-law's tongue, devil's tongue, bow string hemp, and snake tongue — the last reflecting the stiff, sharp-tipped leaves of many species, and the bow-string name referring to historical use of leaf fibres for making bow strings.
Etymology
The name Sansevieria derives from Sanseverinia, coined by Italian botanist Vincenzo Petagna in 1787 to honour his patron Pietro Antonio Sanseverino, Count of Chiaromonte (1724–1771). Carl Peter Thunberg altered the spelling to Sansevieria in 1794 in honour of Raimondo di Sangro (1710–1771), Prince of San Severo, an Italian scientist and inventor; this spelling is the conserved name under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Variant spellings such as Sanseveria and Sanseviera arise from alternate renderings of the Italian place name San Severo.
Distribution
Species formerly placed in Sansevieria are native to Africa — with particular diversity in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar — and extend into southern Asia. The group spans a wide range of habitats from semi-arid savanna and rocky outcrops to tropical forest margins.
Taxonomy Notes
Molecular phylogenetic studies demonstrated that Sansevieria, as traditionally circumscribed, was nested within Dracaena, making Dracaena paraphyletic. To restore monophyly, Sansevieria was synonymised with Dracaena: all former species were transferred, so Sansevieria trifasciata became Dracaena trifasciata, Sansevieria ehrenbergii became Dracaena hanningtonii, and Sansevieria cylindrica became Dracaena angolensis, among others. The name Sansevieria is a conserved name under the ICN and continues to appear in horticulture and in some taxonomic databases including GBIF's backbone.
Cultivation
Sansevieria species (now Dracaena) are among the most widely cultivated ornamental houseplants worldwide, prized for their tolerance of low light, infrequent watering, and neglect. Leaf fibre from several species has historically been used to make bow strings and cordage, giving rise to the common name bow string hemp.
