Streptocarpus dunnii leaf

Streptocarpus dunnii, in Afrikaans commonly the olifantsoor (elephant’s ear), referring to the leaf, produces one large, oblong leaf, occasionally more. The leaf grows from the cotyledon that appeared in the plant’s early growth stage.

The large, pale green, leathery blade is thickly to velvety hairy on both surfaces, the hairs greyish. The veining, comprising midrib, the parallel curving lateral veins and substantial net-veining, is deeply sunken on the upper surface. The leaf surface bulges around the veins, resulting in the quilted appearance of the blade.

The leaf margins are scalloped or raggedly toothed and often undulating. The leaf is up to 60 cm long (Manning, 2009; Onderstall, 1984; Germishuizen and Fabian, 1982; iNaturalist).