Question

Is her early leaf's a flower a metaphor or simile

Answer 1

It is a metaphor.
An example of a simile is : 'Her hair was as bright as the sun."

Answer 2

It's a metaphor. Smilies are marked with words such as "like" and "as." In this case, it is a metaphor because it is a comparison without using the terms "like" or "as."