Anthocleista grandiflora leaves

The hairless leaves of the Anthocleista grandiflora tree seen here show both shine and wavy margins. The central, stem tip leaves are smaller and all pointing up, the mature ones spreading.

The creamy yellow midribs and lateral veins of the leaves are conspicuous, prominent on lower surfaces. Much sap must flow along them for transporting water and food to and from these enormous leaves. The nearly straight lateral veins of the leaf curve in more towards the stem tip as they approach the margins. They do not often start opposite each other in the photo (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002).