Diplosoma retroversum leaves green

Two opposite green leaves grow annually in autumn from the tiny stem of a young Diplosoma retroversum plant. It may branch after some growing seasons to form a small clump. The two leaves appear like one, bilobed leaf, bulging with succulence.

The generic name, Diplosoma, is derived from the Greek words diplos meaning double and soma meaning body, referring to the leaf-pair or leaf-body appearance.

The leaves have sparsely scattered and variably shaped, translucent to glass-like surface dots. New leaves are enclosed for a period by the black or brown, dry sheathes of their predecessors. These predecessors were last year’s leaves on the same stems. The leaves are about 2,5 cm long (Frandsen, 2017; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Smith, et al, 1998; iNaturalist; https://www.worldfloraonline.org).