Table 1.
Habit and habitat details of the woody species studied
| Species | Habit | Habitat and distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Spermacoceae | ||
| Arcytophyllum lavarum | Subshrub | Volcanic mountains at high altitude; Costa Rica to Panama |
| Arcytophyllum setosum | Shrub | Grassland above timberline; western South America |
| Arcytophyllum thymifolium | Subshrub or shrub | Grassland above timberline; Colombia to Peru |
| Diodella sarmentosa | Straggling, scrambling or climbing, often perennial herb | Large ecological amplitude, including evergreen forest, riverine vegetation, bush land, rocky places; widespread in the tropics |
| Emmeorhiza umbellata | Climbing, perennial herb | Tropical forest; South America |
| Gomphocalyx herniarioides | Prostrate or decumbent herb with well-developed, often woody taproot | Sandy soils of thorn forest, dunes and beaches; Madagascar |
| Hedyotis flavescens | Shrub | Upper montane zone on open waterlogged sites; Sri Lanka |
| Hedyotis fruticosa | Shrub or small tree to 4 m | Open vegetation, rocky areas on mountain tops; southern India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar |
| Hedyotis lessertiana | Shrub or small tree to 4 m | Upper montane scrubland; Sri Lanka |
| ‘Hedyotis’ trichoglossa | Woody herb of suffrutex with slightly woody stems and taproot | Eastern humid forest; Madagascar |
| Kadua cordata | Subshrub or shrub | Mesic to wet forests; Hawaiian islands |
| Lathraeocarpa acicularis | Subshrub with woody stems and taproot | Sandy soils in dunes close to the sea; Madagascar |
| Mitracarpus frigidus | Subshrub or shrub | Scrubland, grassland, also in disturbed areas; tropical America |
| Nesohedyotis arborea | Tree up to 7 m | Tree fern thicket; St. Helena island |
| ‘Oldenlandia’ ambovombensis | Shrub | Dry spiny forest on limestone plateau; south-western Madagascar |
| ‘Oldenlandia’ humbertii | Subshrub | Dry spiny forest on limestone plateau; south-western Madagascar |
| Spermacoce bangweolensis | Prostrate or suberect subshrub with woody taproot | Sandy soil bordering Lake Bangweulu; Zambia |
| Spermacoce manikensis | Geoxylic herb with woody taproot and plant base | High plateaus on Kalahari sand; Zambia and D.R. Congo |
| Spermacoce macrocephala | Subshrub | Savanna areas on river banks; Colombia and Venezuela |
| Spermacoce occidentalis | Annual or more often perennial spreading or erect woody herb | Open woodland on sandy soil or dune vegetation close to sea; Australia |
| Spermacoce verticillata | Woody herb or (sub)shrub | Savanna, scrubland and disturbed areas; tropical and subtropical America, introduced elsewhere |
| Knoxieae | ||
| Carphalea kirondron | Shrub or tree up to 10 m | Mostly at edges of dry, deciduous forest on laterite or calcareous sand; Madagascar |
| Dirichletia virgata | Shrub | Forest and scrubland; Socotra, Republic of Yemen |
| Otiophora rupicola | Subshrub | Rocky grassland at high altitude; Burundi |
| Otomeria micrantha | Herb, often with woody base | Savanna, clearings in forest, along roadsides; Nigeria to west-central tropical Africa |
| Pentanisia schweinfurthii | Geoxylic herb with woody taproot and plant base | Submontane and lower grassland, also in clearings of woodland; tropical Africa |
| Pentas zanzibarica | Woody herb or shrub with a woody rootstock | Forest edge, scrubland and grassland; Uganda to Mozambique |
| Phyllopentas schimperiana | Woody herb or shrub | Forest edge and scrubland, at high altitudes; tropical Africa |
| Triainolepis polyneura | Shrub | Deciduous and semi-deciduous forest; Madagascar |