Flora

Flower, from Latin flos.

Flora’s flower meaning is broad: it evokes blossom without naming a particular species. Its Latin root also belongs to the name of the Roman goddess associated with flowers and spring. The name can therefore appeal both for its natural imagery and for its classical story. The botanical word flora, used for a region’s plant life, is a later use of the goddess’s name. That gives modern readers another plant association, although the personal name’s root means “flower”, not an entire landscape. To my ear, the movement from Fl to the open ending gives Flora a gentle, flowing quality.

Etymology: Flora comes from Latin flos, with the stem flor-, meaning “flower”. It is also the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and spring. The later botanical word flora was named after her.