Native and naturalized plants
Native and naturalized plants of the Carolinas and Georgia, eastern Tennessee and northern Florida

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Pronunciation of Scientific Names
They tell us that Latin is a dead language, and so it is. No one knows how it sounded in ancient Rome. But we'd have a hard time understanding one another if we each made up our own pronunciations, so guidelines have evolved.

After hearing it spoken, you start to pick up on a cadence or rhythm, and when you say a name out loud, it's easier to remember — so we are grateful to these people for demonstrating the pronunciation of scientific names. To hear them, click the buttons below or beside Latin names throughout the website.

Wayne Bateman, Scotts Lawn Service
Christi Bruner, Carolina Wild Native Plant Nursery
Beth Flokstra, Garden Genesis
Jan Haldeman, Erskine College
Margie Hunter, Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee
Charles Horn, Newberry College
Ron Lance, Balsam Mountain Preserve
Tim Lee, South Carolina Parks Service
John Manion, Historic Gardens Curator, Atlanta History Center
John Nelson, University of South Carolina
Joseph Pollard, Furman University
Doug Rayner, Wofford College
Bill Stringer, Clemson University
Lisa Wagner, SC Botanical Garden
David Zaparanick, City of Atlanta

To read more about the pronunciation of scientific names (including some of the various schools of thought), turn to page xxxvii of A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina, and check out the links below:

California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations — A Dictionary of Botanical Etymology
http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/
Southern California Wildflowers — Guide to the Pronunciation of Plant Names
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/pronunciationguide.html
Pronunciation of Vascular Plant Genera & Families of New England
http://neatlas.huh.harvard.edu/BotPron/A.html