Euclea divinorum young leaves

The leaves of Euclea divinorum, an evergreen, grow opposite or nearly so, sometimes spiralling up the stems. Leaf shape is elliptic to ovate, tapering to rounded tips and also tapering at the base into their stalks of about 5 mm in length. The leaves have entire margins that are notably wavy. Leaf veins are translucent against strong light, similarly to those of some other Euclea species. The leaf midrib is raised on the lower surface. The leaf texture is leathery and rigid; mature leaves are grey-green in colour and hairless.

The newly grown leaves seen here, photographed in the January rainy season of the Kruger National Park, have yellowish tinged with orange or bright green fresh tips. The duller colouring comes when the leaves get older.

Several rather different shades of stem colouring are present on the young stem tips in the photo (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997).