Magenta Saltblossom

This short shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for around 22 years. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has dozens of long and flexible, crooked stems covered in knobbly, copper-coloured bark, and the wood inside is pale brown.

The branches trail down across the ground that and are covered with large amounts of small, needle-like, leaves with serrated edges. The leaves themselves are magenta on the sides and gold at the center, light and frail and clammy.

In mid-summer it produces many balls of tiny, bold red blossoms with wide petals. They detach easily and have a strong scent that smells like vomit.

In early autumn oval fruits ripen. The soft orange skin is thick and edible when boiled; it is salty, and the crunchy magenta flesh is salty and powdery. The white seeds are small and are scattered throughout the fruit.