Bronzeberry

This small fruit tree grows up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and lives for up to 25 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 30 years old. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has a stocky, slanted trunk covered in thick, wrinkled, pine-coloured bark, and inside, the soft wood is pale brown-grey.

The abundance of branches are very short, thin and wispy and are covered with small amounts of tiny, pleated leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are azure at the bottom and drab green with bronze edges at the top.

In early spring, it produces a handful of large, faded orange blossoms with asymmetrical petals with a tube-like floral cup. They are hardy and have a weak scent that smells like ashes.

In mid-autumn it produces small, oval fruit. The clammy blood red skin is thick and bland, and the very soft green flesh is sweet and spicy and dry. The brown seed is very large and sits at the top of the fruit.

The roots are thick and spread across the surface, as well as underground, and overall the tree is rigid and brittle.

Forests of this species feature well-spaced trees, with the space between them filled with thick undergrowth.