The leafy Diosma hirsuta or rooiboegoe stem close to the tip where the flower sits may turn red-brown from its initial creamy yellow, its surface faintly hairy.

The alternate, spiralling or scattered leaves on stem mid-parts and older stem parts are spaced, the stems clearly visible. Young stem-tips start off fully leaf-covered, while old stems lose their leaves, becoming grey-barked and woody (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; iNaturalist).