A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

oblique, “neither perpendicular nor parallel: having a slanting direction or position, inclined” (WIII); “unequal-sided; also slanting” (Lindley); in botany, unequal-sided; said of a leaf when it is unequally developed on the two sides of the midrib, as in an oblique apex or base of a leaf; deviating from a direct line, or from the perpendicular; slanted; sloped; (bryology) “slanted; e.g., an oblique leaf insertion is one that is between transverse and longitudinal” (Magill 1990): obliquus,-a,-um (adj.A); see plagi-, plagio-: in Gk. comp., oblique-; opp. regularis,-e (adj.B), q.v., radially symmetric; opp. vertical, q.v.; see straight;

- apice obliquo, with oblique apex.

- foliis rhombicis vel ellipticis vel ovatis (non oblique ovatis vel orbicularibus), with the leaves rhombic or elliptic or ovate (not obliquely ovate or orbicular).

- sori simplices pauci obliqui vel fere recti, in venulis superioribus insidentes et HANC OB CAUSAM a costa valde remoti et margini approximati, sori simple few oblique or almost straight, on the upper veinlets situated and for this reason very remote from the costa and near to the margin.

- apice obliquo, with oblique apex.

- galea helicte obliqua (nec erecta), with the galea clockwise oblique (and not erect).

- flores hermaphroditi, reguläres v. parum obliqui (B&H), flowers hermaphrodite, regular [i.e. radially symmetric] or somewhat oblique [i.e. unequal-sided].

- cotyledones planae, incumbentes, interdum obliquae (DeCandolle), the cotyledones flat, incumbent, sometimes unequal-sided [or slanting].

- (moss) operculo conico, rostro brevi obliquo. (Hooker), with the operculum conic, with the beak short, inclined [i.e. oblique].

- capsula curvata strumosa, ore obliquo (Hooker), capsule curved, strumose, with the mouth slanted.

dimidiate: “when one half an organ is so much smaller than the other as to seem as if missing. Hardly different from oblique, except in degree. Also slit half-way up” (Lindley); see dimidiate.

longitudinal, q.v., along the long axis of an organ: longitudinalis,-e (adj.B).

oblique angle, an acute or obtuse angle - distinguished from right angle (WIII): angulus obliquus (adj.A), abl. sg. angulo obliquo.

transverse, q.v., crosswise, extended or lying across or in a crosswise direction, as opposed to longitudinal (i.e. along the long axis): transversus,-a,-um (adj.A).

NOTE: aequilaterus,-a,-um (adj.A): “equal-sided; applied to leaves, &c., when one side is of the same form and size as the other. The reverse of oblique” (Lindley); see aequilateralis,-e (adj.B).

Epidendrum obliquifolium, with oblique- or unequal-sided leaves;Pedicularis obliquigaleata W. B. Yu & H. Wang, with the galea slanted clockwise; Lepanthes obliquiloba, with slanted or unequal lobes; Lepanthopsis obliquipetala, with slanted or unequal petals; Camarotis obliquirostris, with an inclined beak

Ballota obliqua; Calamintha obliqua; Dendrobium obliquum; Lagochilus obliquus.

oblique (Latin adv.): see obliquely.