A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

italic (type), italics (Eng.words): a printed type style where the characters slope upward and to the right often used to typographically distinguish or emphasize special ideas or elements within a printed text; manuscripts sent to the printer use underlining to indicate that the underlines word(s) are to be set in italic type; see cursive;

NOTE: in botanical descriptions, italic type is used to designate the special morphological features (virtues) that distinguish a typically new species from all other closely related taxa.

- [moss Brachythecium asperrimum] ab Hypno pilifero simillimo et proximo virtutibus typographice designatis longe discrepat (Mitten), it differs by far from the very similar and [taxonomically] nearest Hypnum piliferum by the virtues [i.e. qualities] typographically designated [i.e. in italics].

- a B. rurali notis cursive impressis facile discernibilis, easily discernable from Barbula ruralis by the characters cursively impressed (printed) [from a description where key features were printed in italics].

- [moss] ab A. heteromalla proxima notis cursive impressis longe distat (C. Mueller), from the nearest to it A. heteromalla far distant by the characters cursively impressed (printed).