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Copperbrush

Shrub type: Deciduous (Grows upwards by clinging to almost any surface.)

This big shrub grows up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall and lives for decades, with the oldest known specimen being around 188 years old. It is somewhat resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has dozens of slender, curved stems covered in hard, wrinkled, copper-coloured bark, and the wood inside is pine-coloured.

The branches are short and thin with hundreds of twigs that and are covered with sparse amounts of large, needle-like, leaves with smooth edges. The leaves themselves are olive with black tips, delicate and fuzzy.

In late spring it produces handfuls of small, drab purple blossoms with 5 teardrop-shaped shaped petals. They are very delicate and have a weak scent that smells like vanilla.

In early winter small stiff, pointed fruits ripen. The hairy white skin is stretchy and inedible, and the crunchy bronze flesh is sour and sticky. The dull green seed is tiny and is in the centre of the fruit.

The leaves are overwhelmingly toxic, and very spicy.
A particular bird species likes to nest in it.
It is suitable for creating tough, hard-wearing textiles
It makes a distinctive sound when the wind blows through it.