Monsonia flavescens leaves

The leaves of Monsonia flavescens grow in small clusters spaced on the smooth stems. They are either short- or long-stalked. The long-stalked ones become spines when their blades drop off.

Some long, young leaf-stalks are cream-coloured in the photo. Once spines and still young, they are brown. Old, dry spines are whitish grey, sparsely scattered along the stems.

The leaf-shape of M. flavescens is ovate to almost round. The margins are deeply and variably toothed, incised or scalloped in the upper part of the leaf, the base tapering. The smooth blades are pale grey-green to blue-green, shortly channelled from up-turned lateral margins in the broadest section.

The leaf tends to curve down towards its tip. Leaf dimensions are 7 mm to 18 mm long by 6 mm to 13 mm wide (Williamson, 2010; iNaturalist; www.llifle.com).