Leaves of the genus
Republica are smooth margined, with a symmetrical outline and simple pinnate venation. The secondary veins fork from the midvein with a transition from a high fork angle near the apex though a low fork angle in the middle region of the leaf and then back to a high angle on the basal most pair of secondaries. The middle and more basal secondary veins have a broad upward curving path as they approach the margin, while the upper secondaries have a more pronounced and quicker upturn. The veins loop upwards towards the next secondary up, before joining with a fork from the next secondary up or with a tertiary vein. There are typically no interseconday veins forking from the primary vein, but the secondaries typically have several branches that fork at low angles from the lower sides. The tertiary veins can run the full space between two secondaries, branch, or form orthogonal junctions and polygonal
areolae. Similarly the quaternary veins are branched and also form a polygonal reticulum.
R. hickeyi Leaves of
Republica hickeyi are a wide elliptic in outline with an apparently thick leathery texture in life. The leaf base is a narrow v-shape in outline while the apex is broad and slightly pointed. The petiole is thick transitioning into the base of the primary vein which gradually narrows from leaf base to apex. In the only specimen known to Wolfe and Wehr, there are eight secondary veins on one side of the primary, and nine secondaries on the opposite side. The thinner basal secondary pair both branch from the primary at an angle of around 50° before taking rather irregular paths towards the leaf margin, curving upwards and merging with tertiary veins below the next secondary apical. The middle secondaries fork from the primary vein at increasing degrees of angle basally to apically, shifting from 45° up to 55°. The tertiary veins form a reticulate vein structure between the secondaries, the quaternaries are similarly reticulate, typically forming into quadrangular and pentagonal shapes with quinternary veinlets forming
areolea enclosing a freely ending veinlet that may be unbranched or singularly branched.
R. kummerensis The leaves of
Republica kummerensis are obovate in general outline, with a more elongate outline then the proposed ancestral
R. litseafolia, which typically has a length:width of less than 2:1, while
R. kummerensis is more than 2:1. The general size range reported by Wolfe is between long and wide with between 9 and 10 pairs of secondaries. The bases of
R. kummerensis are most frequently broadly rounded in shape, with rare specimens showing a more cordate base. Where they are known, the petioles are between in length. The secondaries branch from the primary at irregularly spaced intervals with departure angles between 40°-60°, a greater range than seen in either
R. hickeyi or
R. litseafolia. Additionally
R. kummerensis has frequent intersecondary veins branching from the primary between the secondaries.
R. litseafolia Leaves of
Republica litseafolia range between long and wide, with an obovate outline different from the elliptical outline of
R. hickeyi. The apex is usually acutely pointed, while the bases range between cordate and wedge like cuneate. The stout petiole transitions into a thick primary vein running up the center of the leave blade. The leaves typically have ten to twelve pairs of secondaries, 1-3 more than seen in
R. hickeyi, which fork from the primary vein irregularly lower in the leaves then transitioning into sub-opposite forking in the upper portion of the leaves. The branch angle for secondaries in middle section of the leaves is around 50°. The
R. litseafolia also have distinct and well developed branch veins forking off the external or basal sides of the secondaries before curving out towards the margin and then upwards to the next secondary. ==References==