From the ICBN (Vienna Code):
60F.1. All specific and infraspecific epithets should be written with an initial lower-case letter.
Even though this is a recommendation and not an article, translating that into yes an epithet may be capitalised, it is just not done very often, is a bit of a twist.
Niels
11/20/10 2:01 AM >>>
Actually, yes, in botany a specific or infraspecific epithet may be capitalized. These days it is rarely done and very likely it will disallowed within a few decades.
It is very unusual to capitalize an epithet such as affinis; capitalization is reserved for nouns and names. So, in a publication dedicated to Sijfert Koorders one may find names such as Millettia Koordersii, deliberately capitalized.
Paul
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: tdwg-content-bounces@lists.tdwg.org namens Dmitry Mozzherin Verzonden: vr 19-11-2010 15:03
Is it allowed to have capitalized 'var. part' of a name? I did not know that
Dima