Turquoise

This large shrub grows up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall and lives for decades, with the oldest known specimen being around 136 years old. It is susceptible to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has several knobbly, curved stems covered in thick, rough, yellow-brown bark, and the wood inside is brown.

The branches are short stubs with hundreds of twigs that and are covered with large amounts of small, stiff, pointed, leaves with ripped edges. The leaves themselves are pale red on the edges and turquoise at the center, delicate and fuzzy.

In late spring it produces thousands of large, green blossoms with kidney-shaped shaped petals. They fall easily and have a delicate scent that smells like freshly baked bread.

In mid-autumn small perforated fruits ripen. The crispy peach skin is stretchy and edible when cooked; it is bitter and spicy, and the very soft black flesh is spicy and salty and very juicy. The yellow seeds are small and are located in the centre of the fruit.