Clinging Scarletvine

This average-sized shrub grows up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and lives for around 97 years. It is very resistant to disease but is susceptible to destructive insect infestation.

It has many thick, wavy stems covered in smooth, black with white speckled bark, and the wood inside is dark brown.

The branches are tall, rigid and upright with hundreds of twigs that and are covered with small bunches of large, wispy, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are intense blue at the bottom and washed-out red with lilac splotches at the top, robust and rough.

In mid-spring it produces handfuls of large, blood red blossoms with V-shaped petals with a tube-like floral cup. They are sturdy and have an intense scent that smells like cheese.

In late autumn tiny spherical fruits ripen. The rough slate skin is delicate and inedible, and the soft indigo flesh is salty and sticky. The red seed is tiny and sits at the end of the fruit.