Zygophyllum lichtensteinianum leaves

The leaflet pairs of Zygophyllum lichtensteinianum, the vaalspekbos (grey bacon bush) in Afrikaans, are often greyer than seen here. As with all Zygophyllum species, also known as twinleafs, the leaflets are paired.

The leaflet pairs are stalked and hairless, on certain other Zygophyllum species the leaves are stalkless. The leaflets themselves here are stalkless. These petioles of Z. lichtensteinianum leaflet pairs become about 5 mm long; thick and grooved as seen here. The leaflets are fleshy, fitting for a plant called spekbos (bacon bush), reminiscent of Portulacaria afra known as spekboom (bacon tree).

Leaflet shape is obliquely obovate, shaped as a skew paddle. At least one leaflet in picture is notched, while most of them are rounded and the margins entire. Margins occasionally show some red colouring near the tips (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot).