Clinging Silverbell

This small shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for decades, with the oldest known specimen being around 137 years old. It is very resistant to destructive insect infestation but susceptible to disease.

It has many wide, twisting stems covered in thin, silky, dark gray bark, and the wood inside is silver.

The branches are very short and slender with dozens of twigs that and are covered with copious amounts of tiny, long, narrow, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are orange and caramel, robust and soft.

In mid-summer it produces copious amounts of small, aquamarine blossoms with needle-like petals with a bell-shaped floral cup. They fall easily and have an intensely strong scent that smells like ashes.

In late autumn triangular fruits ripen. The sticky grey skin is tough and edible when roasted; it is bitter, and the very soft crimson flesh is sweet and sour and juicy. The grey seeds are large and are bunched at the bottom of the fruit.