Crassulaceae is pronounced krass-yoo-LAY-see-eye (five syllables, stress on the third).
IPA: /ˌkræs.jʊˈleɪ.siː.aɪ/
This is the standard botanical English pronunciation. The final -ae sounds like "eye," following the convention used across plant family names (Rosaceae, Liliaceae, Asteraceae).
Part of the Complete Crassula Guide.
Syllable Breakdown
- krass — rhymes with grass.
- yoo — as in you.
- LAY — stressed, as in lay.
- see — as in see.
- eye — as in eye.
Written phonetically: krass-yoo-LAY-see-eye.
Alternative Pronunciations
Two variants are widely heard and both are defensible, depending on which Latin tradition you follow.
- Reconstructed classical Latin: /kras.sʊˈlaː.ke.ae̯/, roughly "krass-oo-LAH-keh-eye." Uses hard-C for c and a long a in the stressed syllable. This is the pronunciation sometimes heard in European academic contexts, particularly in Germany and Italy.
- Traditional English (botanical) Latin: /ˌkræs.jʊˈleɪ.siː.aɪ/, "krass-yoo-LAY-see-eye." Uses soft-C before e and i, and anglicised vowel qualities. This is the pronunciation used in most English-language horticultural and botanical publications.
Both are acceptable. The traditional English pronunciation is what you will hear at a British Cactus & Succulent Society meeting or a Kew lecture; the classical reconstruction is more common in mainland European universities.
Common Mispronunciations
- "krass-YOO-lay-see-ay" — rhyming the ending with hay. Incorrect under the standard botanical English convention, which treats -ae as "eye."
- "KRASS-yoo-lay-see-ay" — stress on the first syllable. Stress should fall on LAY.
- "krass-oo-LAY-see-ee" — rhyming the ending with see. Mixes two conventions; not standard under either.
The Family
Crassulaceae is the plant family that includes Crassula, Sedum, Echeveria, Sempervivum, Kalanchoe, Aeonium, Graptopetalum, and about 30 other succulent and near-succulent genera. The family name is built on Crassula L., with the Latin family suffix -aceae.
The family is scientifically important as the namesake of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), the water-efficient photosynthetic pathway used by nearly all the major succulent plant groups. For the pronunciation of the adjective crassulacean itself (without the -ae ending), see the crassulacean pronunciation guide.
See also
- The Complete Crassula Guide — for the family's place in botanical taxonomy and CAM physiology.
- Crassulacean: How to Say It — the related adjective form.