The young stem-tip leaves of Rapanea melanophloeos may be markedly paler green than the typical leaf colour lower down on the stems. The leaf stalks and stems are not as red as often seen.

A dense profusion of small green fruit is clustered on the stems among some leaf bases. They are spherical, dark-tipped and short-stalked, forming temporary, cylindrical stem coverings a short distance from stem-tips. Fruits may turn white before they ripen and become black. The photo was taken in October (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993).