Species Sansevieria latifolia

Named in error by Carl Peter Thunberg for Raimondo di Sangro (Sansgrio), prince of Sanservol (Sanseveria, Sanseviera) (1710–1771), Italian nobleman, inventor, soldier, writer and scientist. He studied at a Jesuit college in Rome, and spoke many European languages, including Hebrew and Arabic. He was a prolific inventor of, inter alia, a lightweight cannon that could outshoot standard ones, a hydraulic device that could pump water to any height, a printing press that could print many colours in a single impression, and a wooden carriage that could travel on both land and water, among others. The discoverer Vincenzo Petanga of Naples actually wanted the plant to be named after Pietro Antonio Sanseverino (1724–1771), Duke of Chiaromonte. He established a garden of rare and exotic plants in the south of Italy. No further details are available.