Leaves

The leaves are linear, strap shaped or lanceolate, green to brown, smooth to bullate (Figs. 7, 18). The length varies from 10 to 70 cm and the width from 0.2 to 4 cm. In the broader leaves there are conspicuous lateral veins parallel to the midrib. In narrower leaves the midrib is a main part of the leaf blade. The margin of the blade is entire to denticulate. In the monsoon season, C. retrospiralis has short, c. 15 cm long, terete leaves (Figs. 7B, 42), a feature otherwise known only from a few collections of C. crispatula, where they are 2-4 cm long.