Turquoise

This small shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for around 49 years. It is not very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has numerous slender, wavy stems covered in delicate, smooth, yellow bark, and the wood inside is pale brown.

The branches trail down to the ground with dozens of twigs that and are covered with large amounts of large, long, tapering, leaves with ripped edges. The leaves themselves are either turquoise, or olive with pink patches, light and leathery.

In late spring it produces lots of tiny, brown blossoms with many layers of petals. They are sturdy and have a delicate scent that smells like old books.

In early winter stiff, pointed fruits ripen. The soft yellow skin is delicate and inedible, and the slightly crunchy olive flesh is sour and very dry. The dark orange seed is very large and is in the centre of the fruit.