The alternate leaves of Protea gaguedi are oblong or elliptic to slightly sickle-shaped, tapering to both ends. The tip is bluntly pointed or rounded. The margins are entire and there is no petiole. Leaf dimensions are from 8 cm to 18 cm long and from 1,5 cm to 3,5 cm wide.

The smooth, stiff, hairless blades are blue-green to pale green when mature. The midrib is creamy yellow, becoming faint near the leaf tip.

In some parts of its geographical distribution this shrub or tree is deciduous (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; Pooley, 1993; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist).