Indigo

This small shrub grows up to 1 foot (30.5 cm) tall and lives for around 71 years. It is very resistant to destructive insect infestation but susceptible to disease.

It has numerous narrow, straight stems covered in knobbly, yellow-brown bark, and the wood inside is mahogany-coloured.

The branches trail down towards the ground with thousands of twigs that and are covered with thick bunches of giant, stiff, pointed, leaves with irregular edges. The leaves themselves are orange and indigo, robust and soft.

In late spring it produces dozens of tiny, crimson blossoms with asymmetrical petals with a trumpet-shaped floral cup. They are hardy and have a fairly strong scent that smells like fermented fruit.

In late winter tiny cuboid fruits ripen. The hairy turquoise skin is stretchy and inedible, and the very soft pink flesh is salty and very juicy. The blood red seed is tiny and sits at the end of the fruit.