When first learning botanical names, don’t worry about what the names mean (plant names don’t always tell you something useful about the plant anyway). Just add these words to your vocabulary and use them when you can, just like any other word. You wouldn’t worry about what “Joe Smith” means — you just remember his name and what he looks like.
Whad Ya Say?
Now we come to the issue of pronunciation, which probably scares more people away from the use of botanical names than anything else. Everyone feels unsure, or possibly embarrassed at times, trying to pronounce botanical names in the company of others — especially if the other(s) is perceived as more knowledgeable. (If you think Latin is difficult to pronounce, try English. How is ‘ough’ pronounced? As in thought? Through? Enough?) But you really shouldn’t worry so much about it.
After all, Latin is a dead language, and we don’t have any ancient Romans around to correct us! Just proclaim it with confidence. If the person you’re talking with understands what plant you mean, your pronunciation is good enough.
Clematis: a pretty flower no matter how it’s pronounced.
Most languages evolve over time, so there really can’t be any truly ‘correct’ pronunciation, just different pronunciations at different times (and places). With an increasingly mobile and global society, interactions with other cultures influence the way we speak
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