Silverberry

This modest-sized fruit tree grows up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) tall and lives for up to 35 years, with the oldest known specimen being around 54 years old. It is not very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has a long and flexible, straight trunk covered in delicate, wrinkled, gray bark, and inside, the very dense wood is yellow.

The small bunches of branches are short, rigid and upright and are covered with large amounts of miniature, very narrow and elongated leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are silver at the bottom and hazel with intense purple zig-zags at the top.

In early spring, it produces a thick sheet of small, sky blue blossoms with many layers of petals. They fall easily and have an intensely strong scent that smells like freshly baked bread.

In early winter it produces , oval fruit. The soft dark grey skin is peel-able and edible when roasted; it is savoury, and the very soft grey flesh is sour and savoury and oily. The blood red seeds are large and are scattered throughout the fruit.

The roots are thick and spread across the surface, as well as underground, and overall the tree is rigid and weak, and breaks apart easily.

Forests of this species feature the trees packed together densely, with the space between filled with undergrowth.