Copperbark Shrivelberry

This small shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for decades, with the oldest known specimen being around 104 years old. It is very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has several stocky, slanted stems covered in hard, ridged, copper-coloured bark, and the wood inside is pale brown.

The branches are short stubs with hundreds of twigs that and are covered with thick bunches of large, broad, flat, leaves with wavy edges. The leaves themselves are a shade of lime green that gradient shifts to orange at the top, resistant and smooth.

In mid-summer it produces thousands of small, pastel purple blossoms with 7 kidney-shaped shaped petals. They are hardy and have an intense scent that smells like skunk spray.

In midwinter oblong fruits ripen. The rubbery caramel skin is peel-able and inedible, and the slightly crunchy red flesh is very spicy and sticky. The yellow seeds are large and are scattered throughout the fruit.