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Waterbase Shrub

Shrub type: Deciduous (Stores water in the thickened base of its stem)

This massive shrub grows up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall and lives for around 97 years. It is very resistant to destructive insect infestation but susceptible to disease.

It has several narrow, crooked stems covered in rough, mahogany-coloured bark, and the wood inside is silver.

The branches are tall, rigid and upright with hundreds of twigs that and are covered with copious amounts of giant, fan-like, leaves with ripped edges. The leaves themselves are a shade of green that gradient shifts to turquoise at the top, tough and leathery.

In early spring it produces a thick sheet of tiny, amber flowers with pleated petals. They are very delicate and have an intensely strong scent that smells like rotting meat.

It is suitable for making paper
It absorbs an exceptionally large amount of water each day.
The colour changes depends on whether the soil is acidic or alkaline.