Gardeners often get hung up on how to pronounce a botanical or scientific name. Is Clematis pronounced KLEM-muh-tis or klem-MAT-is? In reality, both are correct.
How to say botanical names is summarized nicely by William Stearn in his book "Botanical Latin."
"Botanical Latin is essentially a written language, but the scientific names of plants often occur in speech. How they are pronounced really matters little provided they sound pleasant and are understood by all concerned."
Botanical Latin is not equivalent to classical Latin, so while you can use classical Latin as a guide for pronunciation, that doesn't mean it is the "absolute" or "correct" pronunciation. For example, using classical Latin as a guide, Iris would be “EE-ris,” but saying that instead of “EYE-ris” would get you some odd looks.
The best approach to pronouncing a botanical name is to pronounce every letter in the right order. There are very few silent letters, and in most cases, every vowel gets pronounced.
Just remember, the pronunciation “rules” for Botanical Latin are pliable (despite what an avid Latin major might say). So sound it out, make sure you get all the letters in there, and say it with confidence. Most gardeners will know what you mean!
Common Pronunciations
While Botanical Latin was never intended to be a spoken language with set pronunciations, there are some commonly accepted pronunciations when it comes to scientific names.
The tables below give guidelines for the pronunciation of common letter combinations and suffixes in Botanical Latin.
Pronunciations of Common Letter Combinations in Botanical Latin
| Letter Combination | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| oe | long “e” as in bee | Phoenix |
| au | “aw” as in awl | Centaurea |
| ei | long “i” as in height | Cheiranthus |
| eu | long “u” as in tube | Heuchera |
| ui | “wi” as in quick | Aquilegia |
| c (before a, o, or u) | "k" as in cat | Carex |
| c (before e, i, or y) | "s" as in center | Cercis |
| g (before a, o, or u) | "g" as in go | Gardenia |
| g (before e, i, or y) | "j" as in gem | Geranium |
| ch | “k” as in chorus | Chrysanthemum |
| ph | “f” as in phone | Philadelphus |
| th | “θ" as in thing | Thuja |
| X (at beginning of the word) | “z" as in zebra | Xanthium |
| x (within the word) | “ks” as in axis | Oxalis |
Pronunciations of Common Suffixes in Botanical Latin
| Suffix | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| -aceae | ay-see-ee |
| -ae | ee |
| -aea | EE-a |
| -aeum | EE-um |
| -aeus | EE-us |
| -ana | AY-nah |
| -anum | AY-num |
| -anus | AY-nus |
| -aris | AIR-is |
| -ata | AY-tah |
| -atum | AY-tum |
| -atus | AY-tuss |
| -ea | ee-uh or ee-ah |
| -enis | ENN-is |
| -eum | ee-um |
| -eus | ee-us |
| -ia | ee-ah |
| -iae | ee-ee |
| -ii | ee-eye |
| -ina | EYE-na |
| -inum | EYE-num |
| -inus | EYE-nuss |
| -ioides | ee-oh-eye-deez |
| -ium | ee-um |
| -ius | ee-us |
| -oides | oh-eye-deez |
| -ua | you-ah |
| -uum | you-um |
| -uus | you-uss |
Additional Resources
Check out these books and resources for more on the pronunciation of botanical names
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder. Audio clips of the name pronunciations are next to the scientific name.
- Stearn, W. T. (2004). Botanical Latin (4th ed.). Timber Press.
- Smith, A. W. (1997). A gardener’s handbook of plant names: Their meanings and origins. Dover Publications.
- Harrison, L. (2012). Latin for gardeners: Over 3,000 plant names explained and explored. University of Chicago Press.