Cliffortia ilicifolia older branch

The older Cliffortia ilicifolia stem turns brown and woody, while the small, soft branches emerging from them are whitish and spreading.

The leaves persist on young stems, mainly three-toothed to untoothed on weaker branchlets (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Privett and Lutzeyer, 2010; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984).