flora

Everyday

1. All the plants that grow in a particular place or at a particular time. tree →
2. The tiny living things, especially bacteria, that live in a part of the body: «gut flora». tree →
3. (a name) Flora is a girl's name; Flora was also the Roman goddess of flowers. tree →

In the lessons

A science and geography word, often paired: «flora and fauna» means plants and animals of a place, like «the flora and fauna of Australia». In nature lessons we note the local flora on walks. Comes from Latin «flos», flower. In stories, Flora may be a girl's name.

Examples

• The flora of the rainforest includes thousands of kinds of plants. tree →
• We studied the flora and fauna of the river bank. tree →
• Mountain flora must survive cold wind and snow. tree →
• The island has strange flora found nowhere else. tree →
• Healthy gut flora help you digest food. tree →
• Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring. tree →
• Flora, who typified the season of Spring, is generally represented as a lovely maiden, garlanded with flowers. tree →

Note

Usually uncountable («the flora of Ireland»). Flora = plants; fauna = animals – an easy pair to mix up. As a name it takes a capital F.