Summer leaves of the sometimes deciduous Philenoptera violacea are dark green above with some gloss present.

The leaf midrib and ascending, slightly in-curving lateral veins are about white. Faint net-veining is visible, causing the upper surface to appear faintly quilted. The veins are prominent upon the pale green lower surfaces.

Leaflet damage is caused by eager browsers of many kinds in the northeastern bush of South Africa where these trees grow. There is one or two, occasionally three pairs of lateral leaflets and a large terminal one.

Hair-like leaflet tips are often present, absent from leaflets in the photo. Hair-like stipels should be present at the base of the stalks of the leaflets, the petiolules, not clearly visible here (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Pooley, 1993).