Silverweed

This short shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for decades, with the oldest known specimen being around 121 years old. It is not very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has many knobbly, slanted stems covered in paper-thin, ridged, silver and white bark, and the wood inside is pale brown.

The branches trail down to the ground with dozens of twigs that and are covered with small bunches of large, perforated, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are light brown on the sides and brown at the center, light and leathery.

In mid-summer it produces thick bunches of small, orange blossoms with needle-like petals with a tube-like floral cup. They are hardy and have a strong scent that smells like ashes.

In early winter pleated fruits ripen. The fuzzy pale orange skin is stretchy and sweet, and the soft light brown flesh is savoury and syrupy. The grey seed is large and is in the centre of the fruit.