Table 2. The characters separating Karima from Neoholstia.

Data for Neoholstia taken from [23] and from observations on material at K.

	Karima	Neoholstia
Architecture	Distinct principal vertical (orthotropic) axis and short axillary horizontal (spur or plagiotropic) shoots	Stems not differentiated into orthotropic and plagiotropic shoots
Bud-scales	Bud-scales not present, buds (rarely seen) clad with dormant leaves	Abundant, large specialised bud-scales with rounded apices, persistent throughout the year
Stipules	Persistent throughout the year, conspicuous, glandular hairy, becoming indurated	“Minute, soon deciduous” [21]. Very inconspicuous and often not detectable
Leaf-blade	Monomorphic on each plant, rhombic, apex rounded	Usually polymorphic on one stem, larger leaves ovate, often 2–3 lobed, apex acuminate, base cordate, smaller leaves entire, base truncate
Sexuality	Monoecious	Dioecious
Inflorescence placement	Terminal on axillary shoots, absent from main axis	Terminal on all shoots
Female inflorescence	Inconspicuous, 1-flowered, concealed in spur leaves	Conspicuous raceme with numerous flowers
Male inflorescence	Flowers usually glomerulate, when in raceme, flowers numerous (>10) at each node, concealed within a naviculate bract until anthesis	Flowers always in long (13–17(–25) cm long) raceme, flowers 1(–2) per node, bract not concealing the developing buds at any stage
Staminal filaments	Free to base	Connate at base
Geography	West Africa	SE Africa