Copperleaf Tree

This average-sized fruit tree grows up to 16 feet (4.9 meters) tall and lives for up to 15 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 23 years old. It is susceptible to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has a very thick, twisting trunk covered in paper-thin, smooth, copper-coloured bark, and inside, the very dense wood is yellow-brown.

The branches are short and thin and are covered with small amounts of large, spear shaped leaves with irregular edges. The leaves themselves are silver and grey.

In early spring, it produces dozens of tiny, yellow blossoms with slender, pointed petals. They are very delicate and have a delicate scent that smells like grass cuttings.

In mid-summer it produces , long, tapering fruit. The waxy magenta skin is stretchy and edible when cooked; it is bitter and salty, and the soft dark grey flesh is salty and oily. The white seeds are tiny and are bunched at the bottom of the fruit.

The roots grow as a near perfect mirror of the tree above, and overall the tree is sturdy, flexible, and difficult to uproot or break.

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