Azurebell

This small shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for around 45 years. It is very resistant to destructive insect infestation but susceptible to disease.

It has dozens of slender, slanted stems covered in silky, silver bark, and the wood inside is black with white speckles.

The branches are long and slender with thousands of twigs that and are covered with sparse amounts of large, sickle shaped, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are azure and magenta, frail and smooth.

In late spring it produces a thick sheet of tiny, red blossoms with heart-shaped petals with a bell-shaped floral cup. They fall easily and have a delicate scent that smells like mint.

In mid-autumn very large finger-like fruits ripen. The clammy dark brown skin is thin and savoury, and the slightly crunchy red flesh is savoury and syrupy. The hazel seeds are small and are bunched at the bottom of the fruit.