- any plant belonging to the genus Sansevieria, of the agave family, grown as a houseplant for its stiff, sword-shaped leaves and white or yellow flowers.
- 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)
