Velvetvine

This big shrub grows up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall and lives for around 88 years. It is very resistant to destructive insect infestation but susceptible to disease.

It has dozens of flexible, wonky stems covered in fine, silky, pine-coloured bark, and the wood inside is mahogany-coloured.

The branches are very long and thin that and are covered with thick bunches of miniature, wide, leaves with toothed edges. The leaves themselves are either black or lime, with amber dots, frail and fuzzy.

It produces a handful of tiny, bold purple flowers with broad, flat petals with a tube-like floral cup. They are hardy and have a weak scent that smells like warm cookies. In late winter it forms medium-sizedgreen, tough-shelled seeds.