Vanheerdea roodiae leaves

The leaves of Vanheerdea roodiae are paired succulent bodies, thick and rounded to keeled. Each pair is positioned at the tip of a growth point, a new short stem that may be just visible or in the ground. Leaf shape variations occur, but the leaves of a pair are not remarkably different from each other. The smooth to felty skins may be yellowish green when they thrive, red in summer stress or purple from cold or some deficiency. The leaves of this species are without windows.

There are small, soft teeth spaced along the leaf margins, the perimeters of the flat upper surfaces held against each other by the pair partners. The teeth of the pairs face each other like dentures that can’t chew. Keel teeth are seen on some plants (Frandsen, 2017; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Smith, et al, 1998; iNaturalist; https://llifle.com).