Mahogany

This big shrub grows up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and lives for around 11 years. It is not very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has numerous wide, angular stems covered in waxy, mahogany-coloured bark, and the wood inside is mahogany-coloured.

The branches are short, rigid and upright with thousands of twigs that and are covered with handfuls of large, long, narrow, leaves with irregular edges. The leaves themselves are solid yellow with intense green zig-zags, rigid and waxy.

It produces large amounts of giant, cyan flowers with long, narrow petals. They are hardy and have a powerful scent that smells like soap. In late winter it forms medium-sizedflorescent green, tough-shelled seeds.