Table 3

Key characters among forest species in the Coccinia barteri clade, illustrating the high level of morphological differentiation among close relatives (Figure 1 and 2)

Species / accession

Male raceme morphology

Bracts

Calyx teeth

Fruit shape

Other characters

C. mildbraedii

Condensed on long stalk

No

Upright, short, acute

Long cylindrical

Tendrils bifid

C. keayana

Lax, many-flowered

No

Erect-reflexed, long, narrow

Ovoid

Tendrils simple

C. longicarpa

Condensed

No

Erect-upright, broad

Long cylindrical

Tendrils simple (rarely bifid)

C. heterophylla

Condensed (rarely also lax)

Yes

Upright, long subulate

Ovoid

Tendrils bifid

C. subsessiliflora

Condensed, few-flowered

Yes

Upright, short, acute

Ovoid

Tendrils simple; leaves more deeply lobate than in other species

C. racemiflora

Lax, many-flowered

No

Erect-upright, slightly fleshy, short, narrow

Ovoid

Tendrils bifid

C. barteri (type morph)

Condensed, many-flowered

Yes

Upright, short, acute

Ovoid

Tendrils simple or bifid

C. barteri 7-like

Condensed

Yes

Reflexed, fleshy, short

Ovoid

Tendrils simple or bifid

C. barteri 2

Condensed, few-flowered

No

Erect-reflexed, short, subulate

Ovoid

Tendrils bifid

C. barteri 4

Condensed, few-flowered

Yes

Upright, short, acute

?

Tendrils simple or bifid

C. barteri 5

Condensed, few-flowered

No

Erect, short, acute

?

Tendrils simple

C. barteri 6 (xracemiflora?)

Condensed, but pedicels rather long

No

Upright, short, acute

?

Tendrils bifid

Holstein and Renner BMC Evolutionary Biology 2011 11:28   doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-28