<previous next>

Violetbell

Shrub type: Coniferous (Stores water in its stem)

This large shrub grows up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall and lives for around 12 years. It is very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has several thick, angular stems covered in hard, cracked, black bark, and the wood inside is light brown.

The branches are very long and thick with thousands of twigs that and are covered with small amounts of small, oval-shaped, leaves with ripped edges. The leaves themselves are violet on the sides and aquamarine at the center, light and fuzzy.

In early summer it produces lots of tiny, lime blossoms with needle-like petals with a bell-shaped floral cup. They detach easily and have a fairly strong scent that smells like bonfire smoke.

In late autumn tiny 5 pointed fruits ripen. The clammy orange skin is thin and edible when boiled; it is spicy and salty, and the very soft violet flesh is sweet and powdery. The orange seeds are tiny and are scattered throughout the fruit.

The colour changes depends on whether the soil is acidic or alkaline.
It comes in 13 varieties, each with a different leaf colour.
It is suitable for making baskets and the like
It can survive a very long time without water.