Jolene purchased a rubber tree that has three leaves on it. After nurturing it for several months, she notices that the tree grows one new leaf every month. The expression x y represents the total number of leaves after y months. What is x?

The expression x y represents the total number of leaves after y months. So, x represents the initial number of leaves. In this case, Jolene purchased a rubber tree that has three leaves, therefore x = 3.