The leaves of this orchid are thick, fleshy and very fibrous and have a sharp serrated edge and resemble those of some species of Aloe or some Sansevieria species and are usually 40 cm long.
The genus was originally named Sanseverinia by Petagna to honor his patron Pietro Antonio Sanseverino, Count of Chiaromonte (1724-1771), but the name was altered for unknown reasons by Thunberg, possibly influenced by the name of Raimondo di Sangro (1710–1771), prince of San Severo in Italy.
There are dense thickets of acacia thorn with sansevieria and other succulents, making grazing difficult for the flocks and herds of the Dodoth people who live in the region.
The garden was established in 1967, and now cultivates about 1,500 species of useful plants, including collections of Cactaceae and other succulents (such as Agave, Euphorbia, Kalanchoe, Stapelia, Sansevieria), Iris, Lilium, Paeonia, Rosa, Syringa, as well as flora of Asia and the Far East, Kazakhstan, Europe, the Americas, and medicinal plants and conifers such as Podocarpus.