Clinging Vinefruit

This small fruit tree grows up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall and lives for up to 35 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 39 years old. It is susceptible to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has a slender, slanted trunk covered in paper-thin, ridged, light gray bark, and inside, the soft wood is burgundy.

The branches are short, rigid and upright and are covered with handfuls of miniature, long, tapering leaves with jagged edges. The leaves themselves are black and yellow.

In early spring, it produces large amounts of small, brown blossoms with long, narrow petals with a bell-shaped floral cup. They are hardy and have the faintest scent that smells like onion.

In early summer it produces , spherical fruit. The sticky brown skin is tough and inedible, and the very soft magenta flesh is savoury and juicy. The subtle yellow seed is very large and is in the centre of the fruit.

The roots are thick and spread across the surface, as well as underground, and overall the tree is sturdy and difficult to uproot.

Forests of this species feature the trees packed together densely, with grassy ground between them.