Zygophyllum retrofractum stems and leaves

Zygophyllum retrofractum bushes become many-stemmed and much-branched. The old, often twisted stems are woody covered in grey bark. Young stems are smooth and green. Persistent dry twigs may create a spiny appearance. Rodents tend to tunnel through the branches.

The opposite leaves are bifoliolate, the pair of leaflets small, elliptic to obovate. They are round-tipped and thick with succulence. The leaf is stalked, the leaflets not.

Leaves and stems are hairless and blue-green or green in colour, sometimes stressed into orange, creamy yellow or faintly red (Van Rooyen and Van Rooyen, 2019; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist).