Euphorbia hamata leaves

The leaves of Euphorbia hamata grow stalkless on the tubercles of young stems. Or one might think of the tubercles as oversized leaf petioles exceeding their charges greatly in resilience and functionality.

These plants are early deciduous. Temperature and aridity challenges imposed by the climate take their toll on leaf longevity.

The leaf-shape is ovate or elliptic with entire margins and pointed or rounded tips. Folding in of the leaf along its centre where a midrib might be, or a channelled upper surface is common. Size is highly variable, from 9 mm to 18 mm long and from 7 mm to 15 mm broad.

Leaf colour is extremely variable, including reds, greens and blues with wide-ranging colourful admixtures. The leaf texture is smooth and fleshy (Frandsen, 2017; Smith and Crouch, 2009; Le Roux, et al, 2005; iNaturalist; http://llifle.com).