kaffir lily
kaffir lily Lexical Profile
• noun
A woodland plant belonging to the amaryllis family, native to Southern Africa, and widely cultivated as an ornamental houseplant for its dark green, strap-like leaves and clusters of bright orange, red, or yellow trumpet-shaped flowers.
"Many nurseries have updated their catalogs to list the popular orange houseplant under its genus name, clivia, rather than selling it as a kaffir lily."
A semi-aquatic, rhizomatous flowering plant native to Southern Africa, bearing sword-shaped leaves and spikes of striking red or pink star-shaped flowers that typically bloom in autumn.
"The gardener planted the water-loving kaffir lily along the moist banks of the pond to provide late-season color."
Word Nuance & Usage
The term 'kaffir' is a highly offensive racial slur in South Africa. Due to this severe connotation, modern botanical and horticultural communities strongly discourage the name 'kaffir lily,' widely replacing it with 'clivia,' 'bush lily,' or 'crimson flag'.
Word Origin & Etymology
The name pairs 'lily' with 'kaffir', a term derived from the Arabic 'kafir' (infidel), which European colonizers in Southern Africa adopted as a derogatory term for indigenous Black Africans. The plant is native to this region.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.