A conceptual internal plant match?

[Bernd]

Great minds etc

Damn, you beat me to it!

It appears elephant quality rises sharply in the very late 15th century, probably because the Portuguese established their colonies and trading routes along the African and Indian coasts which would have brought them in direct contact with elephants. Also 2 new elephants arrived in Europe:
The elephant given by Afonso V of Portugal to René d'Anjou about 1477
The merchants of Cyprus presented Ercole d'Este with an elephant in 1497

Martin Schongauer, Elephant 
ca. 1480-1490


Harley 2838, f27, Speculum humanae salvationis
ca. 1485-1509


'Triumph of Fortitude' tapestry, Flemish
ca. 1525
   

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In contrast, here's another good English example from the early 13th century:

Harley 3244 f.39, Bestiary
ca. 1236 - 1250


So we have an 'elephant gap' between the late 13th and the late 15th/early 16th century. The 'good' VM source for the elephant-like leaf likely goes back to English illustrations made between 1230 and 1260 when the British elephants and their main illustrator Paris were alive.