Words with two syllables are stressed on the first syllable. But before an example, here's something easy! Since we are talking about the genus Amorphophallus (am-or-fo-FALL-us), we will now refer to that name as simply "A." You can pronounce that, right?

Here are examples of species names with two syllables and the emphasis on the first syllable, according to the rule just listed:

A. albus--A. AL-bus
A. bufo = A. BU-fo
A. hirtus = A. HIR-tus

That's the first rule!

Next, the vowel of the first syllable is short if it is followed by two or more consonants. For example, in the following, the "o" is pronounced as in the English word "cot" because it is followed by two consonants:

A. commutatus = A. co-moo-TA-tus

Please accept my apologies for the the next rule: Do your best. For example, how do you pronounce Amorphophallus palawanensis? Chances are, if you are an English speaker, you may have to try sounding that one out slowly a few times before you decide on pal-a-wan-EN-sis.

You need to find your own rhythm for the pronunciation in order to get a handle on the way it is pronounced. This was very confusing to me also. I found that different sources differed somewhat. Please correct me if I am wrong. A good dictionary or reference book can be of use for the more difficult words, and of course it helps if you have ever studied any Latin.

Here is a rule that is much more helpful than the previous one: In botanical Latin all vowels are pronounced.

"-oides" is pronounced o-i-des, not oi-des. A. dracontioides is pronounced dra-con-ti-o-i-des.

I could go into detail about when to give emphasis to the antepenultimate (third from the last syllable), penultimate (second from the last), or ultimate (last) etc., but I will just give you the link to the source I am citing. Click on it for more detail: botanical Latin.

Some more rules of thumb: An unemphasized "a" is short, as in the word "cat." An unemphasized "e" is short, as in the word "elf." An unemphasized "i" is pronounced as in the word "in." An unemphasized "o" is pronounced as in the word "open." An unemphasized "u" is pronounced as in the word "up."

A "g" is hard, as in "get." The "ou" combination is to be pronounced as in the word "ouch." The "ah" combination is to be pronounced as is the first vowel sound in "father." The "ai" combination sounds like the "a" in the word "able." The double "e" is to be pronounced as in the word "deep." The double "o", or "oo," sounds like "goo," not "go."

I have a beautiful plant called Clivea; I always called it Cliv-e-a. The correct pronunciation is with a long "i"--Clive-e-a. The guy's name was Clive, not Cliv. Remember to pronounce the name of the place or the person and then add the ending. When a species is named after a person, for example Amorphophallus maxwellii , it is best to pronounce the honored person’s name, then add a double long "ii" sound; for example, "maxwellii" could be pronounced "maxwell–ee-ee" or "maxwell-eye." Most people have come to use a single long "i" sound, as in "maxwell-eye."

That's enough pronunciation for one day! Now, I want to tell you what some of those Latin words mean.

alba = white
angulus = angle, corner, nook
angustiae = straight, narrowness, confined
bufo = toad
commutatio = change, exchange
corrugo = wrinkled
decus = grace, ornament, glory
eburneus = of ivory, white as ivory
elegans = elegant, fine, handsome
hirsutus = rough, hairy, shaggy
margaritum = pearl
maximus = greatest
minor = smaller, lesser
obscurus = darken, conceal, make indistinct
operutatus = hidden, obscure, secret
parvulus = tiny, small, little
pendulus = hanging down, suspended
purpurea = purple
pusillus = very little, insignificant
rostratus = having a beaked prow, like a nose
rugosus = full of wrinkles, folds or creases
sagittarius = archer, bowman
scaber = scabbed, having a rough surface
scutatus = armed with a long wooden shield
spectabilis = able to be seen or looked at, worth looking at
tenuis = thin, slender, slight, faint, fine, weak
venustus = attractive, charming, graceful, pretty, neat

And, finally, some useless Amorph trivia: There is only one Amorphophallus species that begins with the letter "f" at this time. None begins with "u," "w," or "q."

On the next page, find out more about scientific nomenclature.