African lily was originally found in the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, giving rise to its botanical name ‘Agapanthus africanus’. It was later introduced to parts of Europe, due to their highly ornamental appearance. African lily is mainly regarded as a garden flower and is grown to provide borders to gardens. Because they can thrive in water for a longer period, they are used as cut flowers to enliven the interiors and are used primarily for the purposes of decoration.

Its flowers are tubular and shaped either like a globe or a pendulum, they come arranged in a cluster, appearing on a thin, erect stem which can be up to 1.2cm in length. The flowers are available in shades of white and in different shades of blue ranging from a dark blue to an indigo-purple shade. They are in full blossom from middle to late summer and sometimes their blossoms last till autumn.

The plants are very delicate and can be grown without much effort but require suitable protection from frost and during summer they require lot of water for growth. They are also popularly grown in pots.