Kigelia africana leaf stalks

Kigelia africana leaves emerge from the stem opposite each other or in whorls of three; both forms visible in the photo.

This sapling growing in Mjejane is green in its uppermost stem part where two branch bases are also green. The stem soon turns pale fawn in a proliferation of squiggly vertical lines that replace the green as the stem thickens. The leaf stalks remain cream, creamy green or pale yellow. They are grooved on their upper surfaces.

Although still a young tree, some leaflets lower down are already showing entire margins in the photo or only few serrations (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Pooley, 1993).