Jump To:

• 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.

---

Flora ² American  

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

noun

1. a female given name.

---

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

---

Flora ² British  

/ ˈflɔːrə /

noun

1. the Roman goddess of flowers

---

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.

---

flora Cultural  

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subflora
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• florae
  plural
• floras
  plural

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”

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

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

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Its landscapes include grasslands, lagoons, heathland and vegetated shingle, which supports a range of creatures, flora and fauna - not just birds.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

The Channel Islands, an archipelago that includes three additional islands outside the park, are nicknamed the “Galapagos of North America” for the flora and fauna found only there.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

The government insists it has met all "green" requirements and has pledged to protect Great Nicobar's peoples, communities, as well as its unique flora and fauna, by establishing protected zones.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

The untamed flora and fauna of the North American continent, the minerals and other splendors of the world beneath their feet.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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

"It was cheaper to go for a hire car than to do transfer costs from the airport for four people," says Flora.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Smart glasses have been slowly growing in usage, but the category overall faces several barriers to mainstream adoption, said Flora Tang, principal analyst at Counterpoint Research.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026

But the wind-up alarm clock won’t disappear entirely, says Bill Stoddard, who repairs and sells clocks at his shop in Flora, Ind. After all, he points out, “the Amish people buy clocks.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

“Where’s that cranky lady going?” asked Flora, who had just tugged my favorite red ribbon from my hair.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

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

Let us run briefly over the geologic history of insects, in order that we may mark the peculiar light which it casts on the character of the ancient floras.

From The Testimony of the Rocks or, Geology in Its Bearings on the Two Theologies, Natural and Revealed by Hugh Miller

The forests are thus highly diversified and partake of the characteristics of both the northern and southern floras.

From North America by Israel C. (Cook) Russell

Composites, as in most temperate floras, stand at the head of the list, and it will be interesting to note the affinities which they indicate.

From Island Life Or the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras by Alfred Russel Wallace

We can hardly doubt that some such change occurred between the Lower and Upper Cretaceous periods, the floras of which exhibit such an extraordinary contrast in general character.

From Island Life Or the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras by Alfred Russel Wallace

Related Words

• vegetation