What does agapanthus mean?
Agapanthus is an English noun for a genus of lily-like perennial plants native to South Africa. The familiar forms have strap-shaped leaves and rounded clusters of funnel-shaped flowers, most often blue or purple, although white-flowered forms also occur. Gardeners commonly use the word for plants of the ornamental genus Agapanthus, while the same name can refer to an individual flower cluster in floral and horticultural contexts. The word is especially familiar in British, American, and South African gardens, where agapanthus is grown in borders, containers, and cutting gardens. Its name was coined in botanical Latin from Greek agapē, “love,” and anthos, “flower,” explaining the appealing English rendering “love flower.” In ordinary writing, agapanthus is precise but not especially formal: it is the standard general name for these distinctive African perennials, whereas a cultivar name is needed when a particular named variety is meant. A reader seeing the word can understand it as the blue or purple garden lily commonly sold in pots and grouped in showy flower heads.
nounA lily-like perennial plant of the genus Agapanthus, native to South Africa, with strap-shaped leaves and typically blue, purple, or white trumpet-shaped flowers borne in rounded clusters.
- Any plant of the genus Agapanthus, a group of lily-like perennial plants with strap-shaped leaves and showy clusters of funnel-shaped flowers.
"Agapanthus lined the garden path with vivid blue flowers."
"Agapanthus lined the garden path with vivid blue flowers."
"She arranged white agapanthus in a tall ceramic vase."
The usual plural adds -es to the singular form.
"White agapanthuses grew along the sheltered side of the house."
Agapanthus means “love flower” in Greek, combining agape, “love,” with anthos, “flower.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does agapanthus come from?
Agapanthus is a New Latin botanical name formed from Greek agapē, “love,” and anthos, “flower.” It entered English through botanical and horticultural writing as the name of an African lily-like plant genus. Its elements also appear in related words such as agape, from Greek agapē, and anthology, anther, and anthesis, which derive from the Greek flower root anthos.
Related word forms
How agapanthus is actually used
Agapanthus is a countable noun, and its usual plural is agapanthuses. The capitalized form Agapanthus is used when referring to the botanical genus.
Easily confused with agapanthus
Amaranthus belongs to a different plant genus and is best known for colorful leaves and feathery flower spikes, whereas agapanthus has strap-shaped leaves and rounded clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers.