Oscularia vernicolor leaves

The opposite leaves of Oscularia vernicolor grow paired from stem-tips and upper leaf axils. The leaves are slightly fused at the base, the pair not quite equal in size.

Thickly succulent, the leaves are triangular in cross-section on account of their deep, rounded keels. The leaf-pair narrows at the base. The lateral leaf surfaces thus created are wider than the inner, upper surface. The leaves are more blue-grey than green-grey and uniformly pale, covered by a waxy layer. The angular leaf margins are partly purplish red, particularly at the pointed tips and on the keels (Smith, et al, 1998; Herre, 1971).