The about four sword-shaped to sickle-shaped leaves of Hesperantha vaginata are slightly fleshy. Most of them are basal, growing in a fan-shape, the stem-leaves small. The dull grey-green, yellow-green or blue-green blades are inconspicuously, longitudinally ridged by veins. The leaf tips are acutely pointed.
The specific name is derived from the Latin word vaginata meaning sheath-like, referring to the leaves that sheathe the stem (Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org).