Silkwood Pine

This colossal shrub grows up to 15 feet (4.6 meters) tall and lives for decades, with the oldest known specimen being around 190 years old. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has dozens of narrow, twisting stems covered in paper-thin, silky, brown 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 tiny, heart-shaped, leaves with rounded edges. The leaves themselves are emerald with white tips, flimsy and clammy.

In early spring it produces many giant, amber blossoms with spiral shaped petals. They are hardy and have a scent that varies in strength that smells like cherry.

In early winter wide fruits ripen. The smooth crimson skin is tough and bitter, and the very soft black flesh is sweet and bitter and very dry. The dark orange seed is tiny and sits at the top of the fruit.