WANT TO KNOW HOW TO PRONOUNCE IT?
Here we will list the correct pronunciations of the most commonly grown bromeliads in each genus.
References: Johnson’s Garden Dictionary by C. H. Wright F.R.M.S. and D. Dewar, Covent Gardens London, first print 1894.
Also Victoria Padilla, Los Angeles, California USA. 1966.
The genus BROMELIA, as well as the total family BROMELIACEAE, was named in honour of Olaf Bromel, the Swedish botanist (1639-1705).
| Name | Pronounciation | Notes |
| ACANTHOSTACHYS | (A-CANTHO-STEAK’IS) | |
| strobilacea | ( stro-bil-a-see-a) | |
| AECHMEA | (E’K-ME’A, or EEK-ME’A) | |
| angustifolia | (an-gus’ti-fol’ee-a) | |
| aquilega | (a-kwil-ee’ga) | |
| bromeliaceae | (bro-meel-ee-a-cee'e) | |
| bromelioideae | (bro-meel-ee-oy-dee-ee) | |
| blanchetiana | (blan-chet'ee-a'na) | |
| blumenavii | (bloomen-ah'vee-eye) | |
| bracteata | (brack-tee-a'ta) | |
| brevicollis | (brev-i-col'lis) | |
| bromeliifolia | (bro-meel-ee-ah-fo'li-a) | |
| chlorophylla | (kloro-fill’a) | |
| coelestis | (see-less’tiss) | |
| cylindrata | (sill-in-dra’ta) | |
| ANANAS | (AN-AY’NAS) | From nanas the local name for pineapple |
| bracteatus | (brack-tee-a’tus) | in South America, |
| comosus | (koh-moh’sus) | Sub-Family - Bromelioideae |
| nanus | (nay’nus) (Dwarf) | |
| BILLBERGIA | (BILL-BER’JEE’A) | The Genus Billbergia was named in honour |
| amoena | (a-mee’na) | of Gustave Johannes Billberg a Swedish Botanist, (1772-1844) |
| brasiliensis | (brazil-ee-en’sis) | Sub-Family - Bromelioideae |
| chlorosticta | (klor-o-stick’ta) | |
| decora | (de-kor’a) | |
| distachia | (dis-tack’ee-a) | |
| elegans | (el’e-ganz) | |
| euphemiae | (ew-feem’ee-ee) | |
| fosteriana | (fos-ter-ee-a’na) | |
| horrida | (hor’id-a) | |
| iridifolia | (eye-rid-i-fo’li-a) | |
| lietzei | (leetz’ee-eye) | |
| leptopoda | (lep-top’o-da) | |
| nutans | (new’tanz) | |
| porteana | (por-tee-a’na) | |
| pyramidalis | (per-am-I-day’lis) | |
| sanderiana | (san-der-ee-a’na) | |
| seidelii | (sigh-del’ee-eye) | |
| venezuelana | (ven-e-zwel-a’na) | |
| viridiflora | (viri-di-flo’ra) | |
| vittata | (vit-ta’ta) | |
| zebrina | (zee-bry’na) | |
| BROMELIA | (BROM-EEL-E’A) | Named in honour of Olaf Bromel, |
| balansae | (bal-an-see) | the Swedish Botanist (1639-1705 |
| Humilis | (hu-mil-is) | Sub-Family, Bromelioideae |
| Pinguin | (pin-gu’in) | |
| CANISTRUM | (CAN-IS’TRUM) | From the Greek wordkanos meaning a basket; |
| fosterianum | (fos-ter-eea’num) | in an allusion to the resemblance of the |
| triangulare | (tri-ang-u-lar’e) | inflorescence to a basket of flowers |
| seidelianum | (see-del-e-a’num) | Sub Family, Bromelioideae |
| CANISTROPSIS | (CAN-IS-TROP’SIS) | |
| billbergioides |
(bill-ber-gee-oydee’s) |
|
| CRYPTANTHUS | (CRIPTANTH’US) | From the Greek word kryptos, to |
| hide,and anthos, a flower. The | ||
| flowers are nearly buried among the | ||
| bracts, Sub-Family,Bromelioideae | ||
| DYCKIA | (DY'CKIA) ( DI-KEY'A) | The Genus Dyckia was named in |
| brevifolia | (brev-if-ole'a) | honour of the German patron of Botany, |
| fosteriana | (foster-ee-a'na) | Prince Slam-Reifferscheid-Dyck, (1773- |
| rariflora | (rar-a-flor'a) | 1861), The author of a splendid work |
| on Succulents | ||
| Dyckia belong to the | ||
| sub-Family, Pitcairnioideae, and are | ||
| generally found in the Americas from | ||
| Mexico, Buenos Aires,Paraguay, and | ||
| Brazil | ||
| FASCICULARIA | (FAS-SICK-ULAR-E'A) | Sub-Family, Bromelioideae |
| pitcairniifolia | (pit-cair'ni-fo'lia) | |
| bicolor | (bi-colour) | |
| FOSTERELLA | (FOSTER-ELL'A) | This genus was originally known as |
| penduliflora | (pen-dew-li-flora) | LINDMANIA, but was re-named |
| villosula | (vil-lo-sul'a) | Fosterella in honour of Mulford B |
| Foster of Orlando, Florida, whose | ||
| Contribution to the Bromeliaceae are | ||
| Well known all over the world, Sub- | ||
| Family, Pitcairnioideae | ||
| GUZMANIA | (GUZ-MAN-NEE'A) | Named after the spanish pharmacist A. |
| berteroniana | (ber-ter-oni-an'a) | Guzman, who was alo a naturalist. Sub- |
| lingulata | (ling-u-lat'a) | Family, Tillanndsioideae. |
| monostachia | (mono-stash-e'a) | |
| sanguinea | (san-guin-e'a) | |
| squarossa | (squar-ros'a) | |
| wittmackii | (witt-mack-e'i) | |
| zahnii | (zane-e'i) | |
| HECHTIA | (HECK-TEE'A) | This Genus was named in honour of |
| argentea | (ar-gen-tee'a) | Regierungsrat (Councilor) Julius H. Hecht of |
| glomerata | (zane-e'i) | Potsdam, Germany. Sub-Family, Pitcairnioidae. |
| HOHENBERGIA | (HOE-EN-BER’GEE’A) | Named after M. Hohenberg, a German botanist |
| correia-araujoi | ( corry’a-arou’jee ) | Sub-Family, Bromelioideae |
| stellata | ( stell-ata ) | |
| NEOREGELIA | (NEE-O-REE-JEEL’YA) | |
| ampullacea | ( am-pul-lay’see-a ) | |
| carcharodon | ( kar-kar’o-don ) | |
| carolinae | (kar’o-lin-eye) (European) | |
| chlorosticta | (kloro-stick’ta) | |
| compacta | (com-pac’ta) | |
| concentrica | (kon-sent’ricka) | |
| cruenta | (krew-ent’a) | |
| farinosa | (far-in-o’sa) | |
| fosteriana | (fos-ter-ee-a’na) | |
| johannis | (jo-hannis)(USA) (yo-hannis)(European) | |
| marmorata | (mar-mor-a’ta) | |
| mooreana | (mor-ee-a’na) | |
| olens | (oh’lenz) | |
| pineliana | (pi-nell’ee-a’na) | |
| princeps | (prin’seps) | |
| sarmentosa | (sar-men-to’sa) | |
| spectabilis | (spec-tab’i-liss) | |
| tigrina | (tie-green’a) | |
| tristis | (tri’s-tiss) | |
| zonata | (zoh-na’ta) | |
| NIDULARIUM | (NID-U-LAR-E’UM) | From the Greek word (Nidulus or Nidus) |
| billbergioides | (bil-ber-jee-oy’deez)(Now Canistropsis) | meaning small nest; refering to the nest |
| burchellii | (bir-chell’ee-eye)(Now Canistropsis) | form in which the flowers are arranged |
| amazonicum | (am-a-zon-e’cum) | within the floral bracts |
| antoineanum | (an-twar-nee-a’num) | Sub-Family: Bromelioideae |
| fulgens | (ful’jenz) | |
| innocentii | (in-o-sent’ee-eye) | |
| leprosa | (le-pro’sa) | |
| purpureum | (pur-pur-ee’um) | |
| procerum | (pro-see-rum) | |
| regelioides | (re’gel-i-oy’deez) | |
| rutilans | (ru-till-an’s) | |
| seidelii | (sigh-del’ee-eye) | |
| OCHAGAVIA | (OCH-A-GAR-VE’A) | This genus was named in honour of |
| carnea | (car-nee’a) | Sylvestris Ochagavia, minister of |
| education in Chile (1853-1854) | ||
| Sub-Family: Bromelioiseae | ||
| PITCAIRNIA | (PIT-CAIR’NEA) | Named in honour of Dr William Pitcairn, |
| flammea | (flam’mea) | a London physician of the first half of the |
| heterophylla | (het-er-o-fill’a) | eighteenth century. |
| maidifolia | (maid-if-ole’a) | Sub-Family: Pitcairnioideae |
| PORTEA | (POR’-TE-A) | Named in honour of the discoverer |
| petropolitana | (pet-ro-pol-e-ta’na) | Marius Porte the naturalist |
| Sub-Family: Bromelioideae | ||
| PUYA | (POO’YA) | A native name |
| alpestris | (al-pes’tris) | Sub-Family: Pitcairnioideae |
| grafii | (graf-ei) | |
| mirabilis | (mir-a-bil’is) | |
| venusta | (ven-oos’ta) | |
| QUESNELlA | (QUIZ-NELL-EE’A) | Named in honour of the French botanist S. Quesnel |
| arvensis | (ar-ven-sis) | A very beautiful Brazilian |
| humilis | (hue-mill’is) | bromeliad with very stiff, and beautiful |
| liboniana | (lee-bone-ee-an’a) | symmetrical leaf-rosettes |
| marmorata | (mar-mor-a’ta) | Sub-Family: Bromelioideae |
| quesneliana | (quiz-nell-ee-ana) | |
| testudo | (tes-tu’dough) | |
| lateralis | (lat-er-a’lis) | |
| TILLANDSIA | (TILL-ANDS-E’A) | Named after E. Tillands, a physician at |
| bulbosa | (bul-bo-s’a) | Abo in Finland….. Sub-Family, |
| bergeri | (ber-jer-eye) | Tillandsioideae. |
| capitata | (cap-it-tat’a) | |
| cyanea | (cy-an-ee’a) | |
| deppeana | (dep-pe-a-n’a) | |
| fasciculata | (fas-sick-u-lart’a) | |
| flabellata | (flab-el-lart’a) | |
| guatemalensis | (guat-em-mal-en-si’s) | |
| imperialis | (im-pee-ree-al-is) | |
| ionantha | (ion-an-th’a) | |
| lindenii | (lin-den-ee’i) | |
| magnusiana | (mag-nus-ee-an’a) | |
| multicaulis | (mul-tee-caul’is) | |
| paucifolia | (paw-cif-ol-ee’a) | |
| punctulata | (punk-tu-lat’a) | |
| secunda | (see-kun-d’a) | |
| usneoides | (use-n-oy-dee’s) | (known as “Spanish Moss”) |
| yunckeri | (yunk-er’i) |
For more infromation on the pronunciation of biological latin please see this PRONUNCIATION OF BIOLOGICAL LATIN Including Taxonomic Names (capewest.ca). This will disagree with some of the pronunciations given above e.g. carolinae. I have also read that usneoides should be pronounced (uzz-nee-oh-EYE-deez) because the suffix -oides is greek not latin. Ed.