'needle-leafed' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the words 'needle' + 'leaf' with the adjectival suffix '-ed', where 'needle' meant 'a small, sharp implement or thing' and 'leaf' meant 'the flat, typically green structure of a plant.'

'needle' changed from Old English 'nædl' (from Proto-Germanic *naþlō or similar), and 'leaf' changed from Old English 'lēaf' (from Proto-Germanic *laubą); the compound form (needle + leaf + -ed) arose in Modern English to describe plants with needle-like leaves.

Initially, the element 'needle' referred to a small pointed object and 'leaf' to the plant organ; combined as 'needle-leafed' the term has long meant 'having needle-like leaves,' a meaning that has remained stable in botanical usage.