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• flora
  flora

  noun

  the plants of a particular region or period, listed by species and considered as a whole.
• Flora
  Flora

  noun

  a female given name.

flora

¹ American  

[flawr-uh, flohr-uh] / ˈflɔr ə, ˈfloʊr ə /

noun

• floras,
  plural
• florae
  plural

1. 

   the plants of a particular region or period, listed by species and considered as a whole.

2. a work systematically describing such plants.

3. plants, as distinguished from fauna.

4. the aggregate of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms normally occurring on or in the bodies of humans and other animals.

   intestinal flora.

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Flora ² American  

[flawr-uh, flohr-uh] / ˈflɔr ə, ˈfloʊr ə /

noun

1. a female given name.

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flora ¹ British  

/ ˈflɔːrə /

noun

1. all the plant life of a given place or time

2. a descriptive list of such plants, often including a key for identification

3. short for intestinal flora

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Flora ² British  

/ ˈflɔːrə /

noun

1. the Roman goddess of flowers

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flora Scientific  

/ flôr′ə /

• floras
  plural

1. The plants of a particular region or time period.

2. The bacteria and other microorganisms that normally inhabit a bodily organ or part, such as the intestine.

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flora Cultural  

1. Plants, especially the plants of a particular place and time.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subflora
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• florae
  plural
• floras
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of flora

First recorded in 1655–65; from New Latin, Latin Flōra the Roman goddess of flowers (used from the 17th century in the titles of botanical works), derivative of Latin flōr- (stem of flōs ) “flower”

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Explanation

The flora of a particular area consists of its plant species, considered as a whole. The word also refers to the plant life of a particular era — for example, fossilized plants can help us determine the flora at the time of dinosaurs. The use of the word flora as referring to a particular area's vegetation has been used by botanists since the 1640s, but it became common with Swedish botanist Linnaeus, who in 1745 wrote "Flora Suecica," a study of the plant life of Sweden. The word was a natural fit, as Flōra was the name of the Roman goddess of flowers. When scientists study a region's flora, they classify their findings and create a descriptive list, which is also called a flora.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flora Flora floras

Burnt-sienna vines twist through simmering ocher air, while flora sprout through these roiling masses in hues of chromium oxide and cadmium green.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Then come the notions and hardware, like earring posts, beads and crystal accents, that complete the transformation from fleeting flora to lasting adornment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

The tails side of every newly-minted coin from the 1p to the £2 now features the country's flora and fauna - from bees to an oak tree leaf.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Genetic material recovered from internal tissues included bacteria that were part of Ötzi's original gut flora.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Thus, New Guineans have had ample opportunity to get to know their local flora and fauna.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Great Britain's Flora Perkins was among 15 riders to crash while speeding downhill early in the race.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

First pitcher selected in this year’s draft: Jackson Flora of UC Santa Barbara, taken fourth overall by the San Francisco Giants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Flora first considered booking in April to avoid the expensive summer months, but says she held off over situation in the Middle East and fears of getting stuck abroad.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Coty originally acquired the license back in 2016, giving it the rights to sell Gucci-branded beauty products like the Flora and Bloom fragrance lines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

“But Flora and Ulysses won the Newbery Medal,” said Marjory.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Of the 1,000 or so species of floras in the park, lodgepole pine and the duff from its fallen needles and branches provided most of the fuel for the fires.

From Time Magazine Archive

At the two ends of Cajon Pass, only four or five kilometres apart, are the two utterly distinct floras of the Mohave desert and the San Bernardino valley.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various

They are sufficient to explain the reason for the existence of local floras.

From Boy Scouts Handbook The First Edition, 1911 by Boy Scouts of America

Of what use then were these old floras?

From The Chain of Life in Geological Time A Sketch of the Origin and Succession of Animals and Plants by Sir J. William Dawson

Edible fungi in America, 88.Ergotized grass, 217.Erysiphe, conjugation, 176.Erysiphei, polymorphism, 191.Esculent fungi, 82.European floras, 279.Examination of fungi, 289.Exotic floras, 280–5.

From Fungi: Their Nature and Uses by M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt) Cooke

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Related Words

• vegetation

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