Velvet Thornberry

This small shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for around 23 years. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has dozens of thick, straight stems covered in thick, silky, gray bark, and the wood inside is black.

The branches trail down to the ground that and are covered with handfuls of small, slender, pointed, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are a shade of yellow-green that gradient shifts to vivid yellow at the top, resilient and smooth.

In late summer it produces lots of medium-sized, lilac blossoms with many layers of petals with a tube-like floral cup. They are sturdy and have a powerful scent that smells like rotting meat.

In early autumn long, tapering fruits ripen. The leathery red skin is delicate and inedible, and the very soft cream flesh is sweet and sour and very juicy. The red seed is very large and is in the centre of the fruit.