Cussonia paniculata subsp. sinuata new leaves

Don’t trust the colour of newly sprouted stem-tip leaves of almost any tree to do more than show how its newly sprouted stem-tip leaves are coloured. Glossiness, hairs, redness or some other fresh colours reserved for young leaves, differentiate them for short periods only. Even the young leaf shape changes early in many species. The celebration of youthful vigour soon disappears as maturation arrives and the elements take their toll.

The familiar, pale blue-grey-green leaf colouring of Cussonia paniculata subsp. sinuata is as sure to arrive here as beard or wrinkles (or both) on the cheeks of every young human observer of wonders such as these leaves. Even now the bigger leaves are assuming a different hue.

The uneven leaf shape may stay though: Every leaf will prove different in outline to every other leaf on this tree (and other trees of this species). New leaves will grow, continually varying randomly in their irregular shapes. Randomly? Only within the confines of the growth patterns of the species.

The exercise of disproving this, finding a congruent pair, is so onerous (and pointless... to most) that it wont be attempted. Still, every leaf has its specific characteristics allowing for a new tree to be recognised by those familiar with the species (Coates Palgrave, 2002).