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Indigo

Shrub type: Coniferous (Sheds its leaves in winter)

This giant shrub grows up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall and lives for decades, with the oldest known specimen being around 157 years old. It is very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has many slender, straight stems covered in delicate, cracked, pine-coloured bark, and the wood inside is white with black speckles.

The branches trail down across the ground with dozens of twigs that and are covered with copious amounts of miniature, spear shaped, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are gentle red at the bottom and indigo with pink dots at the top, strong and tough and leathery.

In late spring it produces handfuls of giant, silver blossoms with broad, flat petals. They detach easily and have a powerful scent that smells like warm cookies.

In early winter tiny spherical fruits ripen. The hairy crimson skin is thick and inedible, and the soft blue flesh is bitter and oily. The yellow seeds are tiny and are scattered throughout the fruit.

It is frequently struck by lightning.
It comes in 73 varieties.
All parts of the fruit tree are edible.
It is suitable for use as a construction material