'green-leaved' originates from Modern English as a compound formed from the adjective 'green' and the noun 'leaf' plus the adjectival/past-participial suffix '-ed'; 'green' (Old English 'grēne') meant 'green' and 'leaf' (Old English 'lēaf') meant 'leaf'.

'green' changed from Old English 'grēne' and 'leaf' from Old English 'lēaf'; the formation of compounds like 'green-leaved' developed in Middle to Modern English by combining color adjectives with noun-based past-participial forms (leaf + -ed).

Initially it meant 'having leaves that are green', and over time this basic descriptive meaning has remained essentially the same in modern usage.