Stems arching or procubent, of ten rooting at the tip, glabrous or hairy. Stalked glands absent from stem and rachis or very inconspicuous on floral branches; prickles confined to angles of stem; leaves sometimes soft and hairy below but usually green and not felted; inflorescence often paniculate. ______
Like Sylvatici. Short-stalked glands rare on stems but can be present on rachis and floral branches, prickles confined to angles of stem; leaves usually grey-felted below (occasionally almost white-felted) ______
Stems obviously hairy with few short-stalked glandsless conspicuous than the acicles; prickles unequal confined to angles of stem; rachis densely hairy with few or many usually short-stalked glands; leaves hairy and often grey-felted below. ______
Stems sometimes hairy, but often glabrous; stalked glands and acicles more conspicuous than hairs if present, often few on the stem, more on the rachis and floral branches; prickles confined to angles of stem, slender; leaflets often softly or thinly hairy beneath, not felted below; terminal leaflet obovate, often broad, with a short cuspidate apex and finely serrulate margin; leaves green or grey-felted below. ______
Stems glabrous or hairy, with unequal acicles, pricklets and stalked glands (short and/or long-stalked), the pricklets often more plentiful than the glands; main prickles confined to the angles, subequal and usually distinct from the pricklets; leaves green or grey-felted below. ______
Stems hairy or glabrescent; prickles, pricklets and stalked glands very variable in quantity, even on same bush. The prickles are subequal and confined to the angles of the stem as in the Micantes or unequal and grading into pricklets as in the Hystrices. ______
John Norton, in his classification page, makes the point that members of this series fall into two groups. The first has pubescent stems with numerous short-stalked glands, which are shorter than the hairs so often hidden amongst them. The second group has stems which are rough to the touch due to numerous subequal stalked glands and acicles or pricklets (more obvious than hairs if present); both types have main prickles on the angles, which are subequal and distinct from the pricklets; leaves often green or grey-felted below. ______
Stems with numerous unequal prickles and pricklets present around the stem, though larger prickles on angles are often distinct; stalked glands sparse to common, but usually less obvious than the pricklets; leaves green or grey-felted below) ______
Stems prostrate, nearly round, prickles slender (weak) Stalked glands and acicles often very numerous. Leaflets usually green beneath. Inflorescences usually racemose stamens level with the styles. Styles often red. ______
Subsection B - Corylifolii
Stems low-arching, leaflets imbricate. Basal leaflets sessile or subsessile. Stipules lanceolate; stems often pruinose; stamens often scarcely longer than styles; fruit dull black of few drupelets, often imperfectly formed. ______