Echinacea purpurea alba:  white Purple Coneflower

eh-kih-nay´-see-uh   purr-pure´-ee-uh   al´-buh

Dictamnus albus purpureus:  Gas Plant

dick-tam´-nuss   al´-bus   purr-pure´-ee-us

VOWELS   * * *  this is essential

Each vowel must be in a separate syllable. The only exception is for diphthongs - two vowels which together produce a single sound. Diphthongs are ai, eu, oi and ou. Learn this basic rule before you proceed to other concepts to make learning much easier.

SYLLABLES

In order to pronounce a botanical term properly, you must first divide it into syllables. It is quite simple to do this, provided you remember the rule outlined above with regard to vowels. The examples above show how the botanical names for European Ginger, white Purple Coneflower and Gas Plant are divided into syllables, based on the one-vowel-per-syllable rule.

CONSONANTS - PRONUNCIATION

The consonants b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, t, x and z are pronounced as in English.

And what about the remaining consonants - c, g, j, v and w? Here it would be helpful if you could think back to your Public School grammar lessons. The letters C and G are soft before the vowels e, i and y but hard before the vowels a, o and u.

HARD "C" EXAMPLES - sounding like "k"

From left to right, they are:

• Campanula:  Bellflower, Harebell  -  kam-pann´-yew-luh
• Catananche:  Cupid's Dart  -  kat-uh-nan´-kee
• Convallaria:  Lily-of-the-Valley  -  con-vah-lair´-ee-ah
• Coreopsis:  Coreopsis, Tickseed  -  core-ee-op´-sis

• Caltha:  Marsh Marigold  -  kal´-thuh
• Caryopteris:  Bluebeard  -  care-ee-op´-turr-us
• Codonopsis:  Bonnet Bellflower  -  cod-on-op´-siss
• Corydalis:  Corydalis  -  core-rid´-uh-liss
• Cupressus:  Cypress  -  kew-press´-us

The "c" in the above examples is at the beginning of a word.  It will also have a hard sound when it appears in front of a, o and u:

• within a word
• Acanthus  -  uh-kann´-thuss
• Aconitum  -  a-konn-eye´-tum


• within an epithet
• caucasica  -  kaw-kay´-sih-kuh
• cordifolia  -  core-dih-foe´-lee-uh
• dioicus  -  dye-oh´-ih-kuss
• divaricatus  -  die-vair-ih-kay´-tuss
• italicum  -  ih-tal´-ih-kum
• nudicaule  -  noo-dih-kaw´-lee
• pontica  -  ponn´-tih-kuh
• ptarmica  -  tarr´-mih-kuh
• pyrenaicum  -  peer-ih-nay´-ih-kum


• within a cultivar name
• 'Camelliard'  -  ka-mee´-lee-ard
• 'Compinkie'  -  kom-pin´-kee

SOFT "C" EXAMPLES - sounding like "s"

From left to right, they are:

• Centaurea:  Cornflower  -  sen-tore´-ee-uh
• Ceratostigma:  Leadwort  -  sir-rat-oh-stig´-muh
• Cimicifuga:  Bugbane  -  sim-ih-siff´-yew-guh

• Centranthus:  Valerian, Jupiter's Beard  -  sen-tran´-thus
• Cerastium:  Snow-In-Summer  -  sir-ass´-tee-um
• Cynara:  Cardoon  -  sigh-narr´-uh

The "c" in the above examples is at the beginning of a word. It will also have a soft sound when it appears before e, i and y:

• within a word
• Alcea  -  al´-see-uh
• Dicentra  -  die-sen´-truh
• Hyacinthus  -  high-uh-sinn´-thus
• Sidalcea  -  sid-al´see-uh
• Tanacetum  -  tann-uh-see´tum


• within an epithet
• ludoviciana  -  loo-doe-vih-see-ay´-nuh
• margaritacea  -  mar-gar-ih-tay´-see-uh
• persicifolia  -  purr-sih-sih-foe´-lee-uh
• simplicifolia  -  simm-plih-sih-foe´-lee-uh


• within a cultivar name
• 'Citrinum' - sih-try´-num
• 'Hyacinthina' - high-uh-sinn-thigh´-nuh

HARD "G" EXAMPLES - sounding like "g"

From left to right, they are:

• Gaillardia:  Blanket Flower  -  gay-larr´-dee-uh
• Galanthus:  Snowdrops  -  guh-lann´-thuss
• Galeobdolon:  Yellow Archangel  -  gay-lee-ob´-duh-lonn
• Galium:  Sweet Woodruff  -  gay´-lee-um
• Gaura:  White Gaura  -  gaw´-ruh

• Galega:  Goat's Rue  -  gal´-eh-guh
• Galtonia:  Summer Hyacinth  -  gall-toe´-nee-uh
• Gomphrena:  Gomphrena  -  gomm-free´-nuh
• Gunnera:  Giant Gunnera  -  gun´-nurr-uh

The "g" in the above examples is at the beginning of a word. It will also have a hard sound when it appears before a, o or u:

• within a word
• Chrysoganum  -  kriss-awg´-uh-num
• Cimicifuga  -  simm-ih-siff´-yew-guh
• Ligularia  -  lig-yew-lair´-ee-uh
• Ophiopogon  -  off-ee-oh-poe´-gon


• within an epithet
• angustifolia  -  ann-gust-ih-foe´-lee-uh
• garganica  -  gar-gann´-ih-kuh
• gigantea  -  jye-gann´-tee-uh
• margaritacea  -  mar-gar-ih-tay´-see-uh
• tangutica  -  tan-gew´-tih-kuh
• tongolensis  -  tonn-go-lenn´-siss


• within a cultivar name
• 'Guizho'  -  ghee´-zoe
• 'Variegata'  -  vair-ee-uh-gay´-tuh

SOFT "G" EXAMPLES - sounding like "j"

From left to right, they are:

• Geranium:  Cranesbill  -  jerr-ray´-nee-um
• Geum:  Avens  -  jee´-um
• Gypsophila:  Baby's Breath  -  jipp-soff´-fill-uh

• Genista:  Broom  -  jen-niss´-tuh
• Gentiana:  Gentian  -  jen-shee-aye´-nuh
• Gerbera:  Gerbera Daisy  -  jerr´-burr-uh * often mis-pronounced with a hard "g" rather than the correct soft "g"

The "g" in the above examples is at the beginning of a word. It will also have a soft sound when it appears before e, i or y:

• within a word
• Bergenia  -  burr-jhee´-knee-uh
• Digitalis  -  dij-ih-tay´-liss
• Erigeron  -  ehr-ridge´-ur-on
• Eryngium  -  ee-rin´-jee-um


• within an epithet
• argentea  -  ahr-jen´-tee-uh
• novi-belgii  -  noh-veye-bell´-gee-eye
• plumbaginoides  -  plum-bah-gin-oh-eye´-deez
• rigescens  -  ridge-ess´-enz


• within a cultivar name
• 'Argenteus'  -  ahr-gent´-ee-us
• 'Aureo-Marginata'  -  or-ee-oh-mar-gin-ay´-tuh

TIP

The above information is more than enough to get you started. Always remember that you can learn as little or as much as you think you need for your purposes. After all, Aunt Martha's purple and white iris will probably not grow any better for your knowing its correct name is Iris x germanica 'Wabash' or its pronunciation is eye´-riss jerr-man´-ih-kuh.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE

For easy reference, we've divided some simple words into categories and placed them in several tables below which include:

• COMMON ENDINGS
• WORDS THAT REFER TO PLANT PARTS
• DESCRIPTIVE WORDS
• BASIC COLOURS
• COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
• PLANTS NAMED FOR PEOPLE & PLACES

COMMON ENDINGS
You will encounter the endings below repeatedly in your gardening experience so learn them first.
LATIN SUFFIX	PRONUNCIATION	EXAMPLES	PRONUNCIATION
-ae	ee	novae-angliae	noe´vee  - ann´glih-ee
-aeus, -aea, -aeum	ee´-us, ee´-ah, ee´-um	europaeum	yure-oh-pea´-um
-anus, -ana, -anum	ay´nuss, ay´-nah, ay´-num	americana	a-mair-ih-kay´nah
-aris	air´-iss	Phalaris	fill-air´-iss
-atus, -ata, -atum	ay´-tuss, ay´-tah, ay´tum	divaricatus	dye-vair-ih-kay´tuss
-ea	ee-uh	Centaurea	senn-tore´-ee-ah
-ensis	enn´-siss	tongolensis	tawn-go-lenn´-siss
-eum, -ea, -eus	ee-um, ee-ah, ee-us	caeruleum	see-rule´-ee-um
-ius, -ia, -ium	ee-us, ee-ah, ee-um	tenuifolia	tenn-yew-ih-foe´-lee-ah
-iae	ee-ee or ih-ee	juliae	you´lih-ee
-ii	ee-eye	jackmanii	jack-mann´-ee-eye
-inus, -ina, -inum	eye´-nuss, eye´nah, eye´num	alpinus	al-pine´uss
-ioides	ee-oh-eye´-deez	histrioides	hiss-tree-oh-eye´-deez
-oides	oh-eye-deez	clethroides	cleth-roe-eye´-deez
-uus, -ua, -uum	you-uss, you-ah, you-um	cernuum	sir´-new-um

 
 

WORDS THAT REFER TO PLANT PARTS
These prefixes and suffixes can tell you much about a plant, its flowers, foliage or other parts. Learn them early on.
LATIN	PRONUNCIATION	MEANING	EXAMPLES
phyl-	fill	referring to a leaf	pol-y-phyl´-la - having multiple leaves
caul-	call	referring to a stem	cau-li-flo´-rus - having flowers on the stems
cocc-	cox	referring to a seed or berry	coc-ci´fer-a - having berries
coni-	konn-ih	referring to a cone	co-ni´fer-us - having cones
flor-	flore	referring to a flower	flo´-rid-a - free-flowering
foli-	foe-lee	referring to foliage	fo´li-us - leaved
frond-	frond	referring to a leaf	fron-do´sus -
misc-	misk	referring to a stem	misc-an´thus
nod-	graw	referring to a node	no-do´-sus - jointed, with joints or nodes
palm-	palm	referring to a palm or hand	pal-ma´-tus - hand-shaped
panicul-	pann-ih-kule	referring to a panicle	pa-ni-cu-la´-tus - having flowers in a panicle
petiol-	peh-tee-ole	referring to a petiole or leaf stalk	pe-ti-o-la´-tus - with a leaf stalk
racem-	ra-semm	referring to a raceme	ra-ce-mo´-sus - with elongated flower racemes
ramos	ra-mose	referring to branches	ra-mo´-sus - branched
rhiz-	rise	referring to a root	mac-ro-rhi´-zum - large-rooted
scap-	skapp	referring to a scape	sca-po´-sa - with scapes arising at the ground
ven-	venn	referring to a vein	ve-no´-sus - notably veined

 
 

A FEW SIMPLE, DESCRIPTIVE WORDS
Adjectives, called epithets, used in botanical names can tell how plants, their foliage or flowers will look, where they will grow best, when they bloom, etc.
LATIN	MEANING	EXAMPLES	PRONUNCIATION
acuminat-	pointed, tapering	Allium acuminatum	a-cue-mih-nay´-tum
acut-	pointed, sharp	Calamagrostis x acutiflora	a-cu-ti-floe´-ruh
aestiv-	referring to summer	Asphodelus aestivus	ee´-stih-vuss
alpestr-	referring to alpine regions	Myosotis alpestris	al-pess´-truss
amabil-	lovely	Abies amabilis	a-ma´-buh-liss
angust-	narrow	Crocus angustifolius	an-goose-tih-fo´lee-us
aquil-	eagle-like	Thalictrum aquilegifolium	a-quih-lee´-jih-foe-lee-um
arena-	referring to sand	Dianthus arenarius	air-uh-nair´-ee-us
barbat-	bearded	Dianthus barbatus	bar-bay´-tuss
bland-	mild, pleasant	Anemone blanda	blann´-duh
brevi-	short	Ranunculus brevifolius	breh-vi-cau´-liss
campan-	referring to a bell	Penstemon campanulatus	kam-pann-you-lay´-tuss
cernu-	bending, drooping	Allium cernuum	sir´-new-um
caespitos-	tufted, clumped	Erigeron caespitosus	see-spih-toe´-suss
columb-	like a dove	Scabiosa columbaria	coll-um-bare´-ee-uh
cucul-	referring to a hood	Dicentra cucullaria	cue-cue-lair´-ee-uh
deltoid-	triangular	Aubrieta deltoidea	dell-toy´-dee-uh
divari-	spreading, divergent	Caryopteris divaricata	die-vair-ih-kay´-tuh
dumos-	bushy	Aster dumosus	doo-moe´-suss
elat-	tall	Delphinium elatus	ah-lay´-tuss
flabell-	fan-shaped	Aquilegia flabellata	flah-buh-lay´-tuh
fulg-	shining	Rudbeckia fulgida	full´-juh-duh

 
 

A FEW BASIC COLOUR REFERENCES
Recognizing colour references can be useful in a number of situations.
LATIN COLOURS	PRONUNCIATION	MEANING	EXAMPLES
alb-	alb	white	albiflo´ra - white-flowered albomargina´ta - having white edges
amethysti-	a-muh-thiss´-tuh	violet-coloured	amethys´ticus
arg-	ardge or arg (depends on context)	silver	argen´teus
aure-	ore-ee	golden	aur´eus
azur-	a-zure	blue	azur´eum
brun-	brunn	brown	brun´neus
caerul-	see-rule	bluish	caeru´lea
caes-	seez	blue-gray	cae´sius
cana-	cann-uh	white or gray	canalicula´tus;
chrys-	kriss	yellow, golden	chrysan´thus
coccin-	cock-sinn	red	coccin´eus
cyan-	sigh-ann	blue	cya´neus
dealb-	day-alb	whitish	dealba´ta
flav-	flay-vuh	yellow	Hemerocallis fla´va
glauc-	glock	milky, with a greyish bloom	glau´cus
gris-	greez	greyish	gri´seus
incarn-	in-karn	referring to flesh (coloured)	incarna´tus
lacti-	lack-tuh	milk-coloured	lactiflo´rus
leuc-	luke	white	Leucan´themum
lute-	loot	light-yellow	lu´teus
miniat-	minn-ee-at or -ate (depends on context)	reddish	minia´ta
nigr-	nigh-g	black	nigre´scens, ni´gricans the ending determines where the accent lies
niv-	nive	snow or the colour white	ni´vea niva´lis (the ending determines where the accent lies)
ochr-	awk	yellowish	ochroleu´ca
poli-	poe-lee	grey	polifo´lius
rhod-	road	red or rose	rhodan´tha
rose-	rows	rose-coloured	ro´seus
rube-	roo-b	red	rubel´la
rubig-	roo-bidge	rust	rubigino´sus
rubra	roo-brah	red	ru´brah
xanth-	zanth	yellow	xanthocar´puss

 
 

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
Where a plant comes from can give you valuable information about the conditions it prefers.
LATIN	PRONUNCIATION	MEANING	EXAMPLES
aethiopi-		referring to Ethiopia or Africa in general
calabri-		referring to southern Italy
cambr-		referring to Wales
capens-		referring to Cape of Good Hope or any cape
carpath-		referring to the Carpathian Mountains in Europe
formosan-		referring to Formosa (Taiwan)
gall-		referring to Gaul (France)
graec-		referring to Greece
helvetic-		referring to Switzerland
iber-		referring to Spain
illyr-		referring to Greece
ital-		referring to Italy
japon-		referring to Japan
lusitan-		referring to Portugal
magellan-		referring to the Straits of Magellan
maurit-		referring to North Africa
moldav-		referring to Romania
molucc-		referring to the East Indies
orient-		referring to the Orient (in general)
patagon-		referring to Argentina
persic-		referring to Persia (Iran)
phryg-		referring to Asia Minor
sibir-		referring to Siberia
sikkim-		referring to Northern India
sino-		referring to China
tartar-		referring to Central Asia
zeylan-		referring to Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

 
 

PLANTS NAMED AFTER PEOPLE
When the name of a plant is derived from a proper name: the ending -ii means it was named after the male developer of a cultivar the ending -ae means it was named after the female developer of a cultivar the ending -iana means the flower name commemorates the personal name it is attached to
LATIN SUFFIX	PRONUNCIATION	EXAMPLES	PRONUNCIATION
-ii	ee-eye	jackmanii	jack-mann´-ee-eye
-iae	ee-ee	danfordiae	dan-ford´-ee-ee
-iana	ee-ay-nuh	albertiana	al-burr-tee-ay´-nuh

 

Have you ever wondered just who those people are who have had plants named after them? You will find just a few of them below.

• albertiana:  Prince Albert
• allwoodii:  Mongague Allwood, English Dianthus expert
• arendsii:  George Arends, German plantsman and plant collector, 1862-1952
• aubertii:   Père George Aubert, French missionary to China
• chaixii:  Abbé Dominique Chaix, a French botanist
• danfordiae:  Mrs. C. G. Danford, 19th. century explorer and famous Crocus collector
• delavayi:  Père Jean Marie Delavay, 1834-1895, a famous plant-hunter
• forrestii:  George Forrest, 1873-1932, "Scotland's Indiana Jones of the plant world"
• fosteriana:  M. Foster, botanist and Cambridge professor
• jackmanii:  George Jackman, 1801-1869, of Jackman & Sons, British nursery firm, famous English Clematis originator
• lamarckii:  Jean Bapiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck, 1744-1829
• ledebourii:  Karl Friedrich von Ledebour, 1785-1851, German-Estonian botanist
• mussinii:  Count Apollosovich Mussin-Puschkin, 19th. Century Russian plant collector
• sargentiana:  Charles Sprague Sargent, 1841-1927, founder of the Arnold Arboretum, professor
• sieboldii:  Philip Franz Barthasar von Siebold, 1796-1866, German physician, who lived in Japan and studied Japanese flora and fauna

For those who would like to learn more about the fascinating exploits of famous plant explorers and contributors to our botanical world, you will find a wealth of information by following the link to the PLANT EXPLORERS site. Once there, clicking on the More link in each of the four sections will take you to further links to people who lived, gardened and explored in each age with details of their contributions and experiences in:  

• The Golden Age of Botany
• The Wardian Age
• The 20th. Century
• In The Beginning

Often a cultivar name (in single quotation marks) will refer to a place name. Some of those places, followed by the name of the person who made them famous, are below:  

• Bressingham Nurseries, Bressingham, Norfolk, U.K. (Bloom, Alan)
• East Lambrook Manor, Somerset (Fish, Margery)
• Munstead Wood, Surrey, England (Jekyll, Gertrude)
• Gravetye Manor, West Sussex, England (Robinson, William)
• Sissinghurst Castle (Sackville-West, Vita & Nicholson, Harold)

STRESS

To determine where the accent will fall, you must first find the second to last syllable (the penult)

• if it is long, stress it
• if it is short, stress the syllable before it (the anti-penult)