Gymnosporia polyacantha subsp. vaccinifolia fresh leaves

Young leaves upon this Gymnosporia polyacantha subsp. vaccinifolia branch have a fresh, bright green colour. They grow in small fascicles on dwarf spur-branchlets in the axils of the spines or at branch ends. Their petioles are short, only about 1 mm in length.

The leaves are small, narrowly oblanceolate to almost oblong. The leaf apex tapers broadly, is rounded or notched; the base tapers. Leaf margins may be entire, obscurely scalloped or toothed. Leaf venation, usually visible on both surfaces, isn’t too clear in the photo.

The red-brown or pale young spines in picture are slender, straight, hard and sharp (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997).