Obliqua

Obliqua is the feminine form of the Latin adjective obliquus, meaning slanting or oblique. In scientific nomenclature, obliqua commonly appears as a descriptive epithet within botanical and zoological names to indicate an oblique or tilted feature of the organism, such as leaf orientation, inflorescence axis, or stem alignment. It is not a taxon by itself but part of a name that describes a characteristic observed by the descriptor. The feminine accusative form is obliquam, while obliqua itself serves as the feminine nominative singular.

Etymology and grammar: Obliqua derives from obliquus, and in Latin adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the nouns they modify. Obliqua is the feminine singular nominative form; the masculine and neuter forms are obliquus and obliquum, respectively.

Usage notes: Because epithets may be reused across many taxa, obliqua does not imply a single universal trait across all instances. Its meaning is contextual, tied to a particular specimen, description, or taxonomic group. The term is also encountered in other Latin-derived contexts to describe oblique directions or relations within descriptions and analyses. See also obliquus, obliquity, oblique.