Bloodmint Bush

This modest-sized shrub grows up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and lives for around 42 years. It is very resistant to destructive insect infestation but susceptible to disease.

It has numerous thick, wavy stems covered in very thick, smooth, brown and grey bark, and the wood inside is white with black speckles.

The branches trail down towards the ground that and are covered with very large amounts of tiny, finger-like, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are olive at the bottom and pink with blood red dots at the top, flimsy and leathery.

In mid-summer it produces handfuls of small, dark red blossoms with sickle shaped petals. They fall easily and have an overpowering scent that smells like mint.

In early winter very large triangular fruits ripen. The rubbery bronze skin is tough and edible when cooked; it is salty, and the soft ashy purple flesh is sweet and oily. The dull yellow seeds are small and are bunched at the bottom of the fruit.