Hi Jennifer: I am Editor in chief of the Orchid Digest. Here is what we do. Families are NOT italicized. Generic, species and varieties, sub species or formas are italicized e.g. Lilium formosum f. album or L. formosum subsp. giganteum. When generic names are used as common names, not in a scientific context, it is not italicized but the first letter is also small case. e.g. This was the first lilium that I grew. Cutivar names are not italicized but are written with single quotes e.g. Lilium formosum 'White Giant' Does this help? Harold At 08:02 AM 9/15/2008, you wrote: >Maybe this will help: >http://journal.au.edu/au_techno/2001/… > >Best regards, > >Hafsteinn > >______________________________ >Hafsteinn Hafliðason >Þingborg >801 Selfoss - Iceland > >Netfang: hortice@emax.is > >HSM +354] 482-3346 >GSM +354] 864-4990 > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Jennifer Hildebrand" <theotherjen8@yahoo.com> >To: <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> >Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 1:14 PM >Subject: [pbs] to italicize or not to italicize... > > >Hi everyone, > >Marguerite and I are proofreading the next editioni of The Bulb Garden, so >it should be in your hands relatively soon. But we've stumbled across a >question that we're hoping some of our experts can answer. When should be >use italics? > >The two general rules that I've seen are as follows: 1) A family name is not >italicized, while a species name is. 2) Common names are not italicized. > >One of the articles that you'll soon be enjoying is by Leo Martin; he >discusses his attempts to garden with bulbs in the Sonoran desert. But this >article has raised this dreaded italicizing question. He refers to Bearded >Iris and Oncocyclus Iris. Are these considered scientific names or common >names? I did not italicize hybrid tulips, hyacinths, and crocus - should I >have? Meanwhile, I did italicize Lilium, Muscari, and Tigridia. Right or >wrong? > >Any suggestions that would stop your editors' heads from spinning would be >appreciated! > >Best, >Jennifer > > > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/