to italicize or not to italicize...
Jane McGary (Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:44:29 PDT)
Jim ASked,
Jane, I'm curious about your recommendation to capitalize the initial O in
oncocyclus. If we do not capitalize the initial letters of genera used as
vernacular names, what justification is there for the capitalization the
initial letter of a subgeneric taxon used the same way?
I do not interpret this as a "vernacular" name. There are many analogous
instances, especially in such large genera as Saxifraga and Penstemon,
where subgenus or section names are capitalized in this context. This is a
judgment call, as many parts of editorial stylesheets are.
Now on to something entirely different. You mention a crocus name " there
are some names such as Crocus x jessopiae". Bowles published this name as
Crocus jessoppiae (i.e., with two letters p) and, as if to forestall any
"improvements" of his spelling went on to cite the name of the eponym, Miss
Euphemia Jessopp. I notice that both you and Brian Matthew use other
spellings. I think this might be a case of great minds thinking alike, but
incorrectly.
Since Brian Mathew's (note that he himself has only one "t") monograph is
the latest book-length authority on Crocus, I accept his spellings unless
they have been superseded by, for instance, Flora Europaea.
Jane McGary