Copper Fruit Tree

This modest-sized fruit tree grows up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall and lives for up to 35 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 61 years old. It is very susceptible to disease and insect infestation.

It has a slender, crooked trunk covered in delicate, waxy, copper-coloured bark, and inside, the very dense wood is pine-coloured.

The abundance of branches trail down to the ground and are covered with copious amounts of large, 8 pointed leaves with serrated edges. The leaves themselves are either red or peach, with pink streaks.

In early spring, it produces thick bunches of small, hazel blossoms with 5 crescent-shaped shaped petals. They fall easily and have a delicate scent that smells like cinnamon.

In mid-summer it produces very large, fan-like fruit. The waxy grey skin is thin and inedible, and the very soft cream flesh is bitter and very juicy. The green seed is large and sits at the top of the fruit.

The roots are shallow and widely spread, and overall the tree is rigid and brittle.

Forests of this species feature trees spaced far apart, with patches of undergrowth between them.