Rapanea melanophloeos leaves not clustered

Leaf spacing on a young Rapanea melanophloeos plant may we wide, the common stem-tip leaf clustering of the species not universally consistent. This unusual stem elongation was photographed in the planted garden section of the Fernkloof Nature Reserve at Hermanus.

The spacing between these leaves is also uneven, neither alternate, nor spiralling, rather scattered (Venter, 2012; Schmidt, et al, 2002; iNaturalist).