English: Tetradenia riparia leaves and buds display several aspects of plant morphology. The leaves are borne in opposite pairs; succeeding pairs are at right angles to the previous pair (decussate phyllotaxis); there are naked axillary buds in the leaf axils; the upper (dorsal) leaf surfaces began their growth facing towards the axil and therefore also to the stem, so their dorsal surface is called adaxial: "towards the axis" and the lower (ventral) surface faced away from the axis and so is called abaxial. The dorsal and ventral surfaces differ in texture and slightly in colour, so these are called dorsiventral, meaning that they have distinct dorsal and ventral sides.